Fantasy Football Roundtable: NFC East Edition

Now, just a day away from June, it is time to really start gearing up for the up and coming 2009 fantasy football season. Over here at Bruno Boys headquarters that means discussions of events happening around the NFL are in full-force. Today, Bruno Boys Whooley and Bruno Boys Ziza are discussing the NFC East as the Bruno Boys continue to break down the NFL division by division.

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NFC East Burning Questions!

1. How will the departure of wide receivers Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer affect the rest of the New York Giants fantasy value wise?

Bruno Boys Whooley: In cutting ties with wide receiver, Plaxico Burress, the New York Giants were already looking thin at the wide receiver position. Add to that, the team's decision to not bring back Amani Toomer, who had spent all of his 10-year career with the team, and things look even bleaker. With both Burress and Toomer gone, the Giants will hope that their young batch of receivers, consisting of Domenik Hixon (24), Steve Smith (24), Mario Manningham (23), Sinorice Moss (25), and David Tyree (29), can mature rapidly and pick up the receiving load.

However, that is a gamble as the young wide outs are sure to suffer from some growing pains during the year.

Those growing pains will not only effect quarterback, Eli Manning, and his fantasy value, but they will also hurt both Brandon Jacobs' and Ahmad Bradshaw's fantasy value as opposing defenses will be able to focus more on stopping the run than they were in previous years.

Bruno Boys Ziza: I think the departure of these two receivers will have a prominent affect on the New York Giants as a whole. Let's start with what many people won't think of, and that is their DST. If the offense can't stay on the field as long as in prior years, the defense will have to be out there more.

If they have to be out there more, they will wear down more as games goes on, most likely resulting in points scored upon that would not have been there in the past. That will weigh heavily on their fantasy value, dropping them from being one of the top DST to one that now becomes a lower DST1 and possibly even worse.

As far as the QB position goes, Eli Manning will be Eli Manning. He will fight for everything that he gets, which is a good trait to have as he will need it as all of his wide receivers are pretty young and unexperienced, with 3rd year man, Steve Smith, becoming the possible WR1 on the Giants, which may or may not translate well for the team.

I am going to guess that the Giants become more of a running team, and that will allow opposing defenses to stack the box, which will hurt Brandon Jacobs' value as well.

Granted, it is only May and there is plenty of time before the season starts, but from this Bruno Boys' point of view, I think the departures will hurt the Giants at least fantasy football wise more than one may think.

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2. How do you see the departure of Terrell Owens affecting the passing game in Dallas?

Bruno Boys Whooley: Measuring the affect T.O.'s departure will have on Dallas is bit complicated. On the one hand, the wide out possesses incredible skill while on the field, evident by his three straight seasons with Dallas of 1,000+ yards and 10+ TDs. On the other hand, though, he is a clubhouse cancer that causes teammates more headaches than needed. So, what is the ultimate impact of his departure?

Truth be told, while the Cowboys will miss T.O. on the field, especially in the red zone, I believe they have the talent to weather his departure. Roy E. Williams and Patrick Crayton are more than viable options on the outside, while Jason Witten is one of the premier tight ends in the league.

Throw in Marion Barber and Felix Jones catching balls out of the back field, and Tony Romo has plenty of options to turn to in this post-T.O. era. Enough so that the Cowboys could very well remain one of the top 10 passing teams in the league - a distinction they held every year T.O. donned the Dallas star.

Bruno Boys Ziza: The thing that sticks out at me for the most part is that Terrell Owens was by far the biggest red-zone target that Tony Romo possessed on the team. But, that does not mean that Romo's value will suffer as much as one may initially think. Even without T.O., Dallas still has a great crop of talent; talent that is more interested in winning rather than putting themselves before the team.

Roy Williams and Patrick Crayton along with Jason Witten will do more than enough on the field to lessen the loss of Owens.

Add in the fact that Felix Jones and Marion Barber can both be efficient as receivers out of the backfield, and it starts to look like the fantasy values of pretty much everyone on the field will go up; however, note that Romo may take a hit somewhat in his touchdown totals.

Even with less TDs though, Romo is sure to enjoy the season a lot more as he will be without the constant headache that is T.O., barking in his ear.

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Fantasy Football Preference - NFC East (Based on 12 team, standard scoring leagues)

1. Clinton Portis vs. Brian Westbrook vs. Marion Barber vs. Brandon Jacobs

Bruno Boys Whooley: WESTBROOK. In turning 30 prior to the season's opening, coming off a knee injury, and running behind a revamped line, many experts will warn fantasy owners to stay away from Brian Westbrook; however, I'm not declaring the man a has been just yet.

After all, the Eagles' back has totaled at least 1,233 total yards and 7 TDs in each of his last 5 seasons. With his knee expected to be fully recovered by training camp, Westbrook will be healthy to start 2009, and with the Eagles drafting Jeremy Maclin to play alongside DeSean Jackson, Westbrook should find a few more holes than in years past as the Eagles will boist one of the strongest passing games they have had in recent years.

Throw in the addition of LeSean McCoy to keep Westbrook a tad fresher, and 2009 should yield big numbers for Westbrook.

Bruno Boys Ziza: WESTBROOK. All four of these running backs suffered through injuries the past few seasons, and all four are no doubt gamers as they will be questionable come game day, yet most times they are there starting and excelling week-to-week.

The man with the best all around talent though is Westbrook, who will be able to help the Philadelphia Eagles in both the running game and receiving game, making him an object that gives nightmares to most opposing defensive coordinators all season long.

I see Westbrook having some of his workload taken from him from rookie LeSean McCoy, a running back that has the same attributes that Westbrook possesses.

This will hopefully enable Westbrook to be able to stay a tad bit healthier this year, which could result in Westbrook becoming a top-notch fantasy football running back once again.

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2. Most Improved from 2008 - Tony Romo vs. Donovan McNabb

Bruno Boys Ziza: MCNABB. While Tony Romo is undoubtedly the better fantasy football option at quarterback at this point of the year, I think with the addition of solid offensive talent in wide receiver Jeremy Maclin and in left tackle Jason Peters, McNabb has a possibility of becoming a top-notch fantasy football quarterback once again in 2009.

He has always had the talent to be a top-play every week when he is in the lineup, but that is his problem, he is usually banged up pretty good. If you remember a few years ago though, McNabb was having as good of a fantasy season as anyone in the game.

Now, I am not predicting that, but I am predicting that McNabb finally could have everything at his helm to shoot up the charts and rival others in finishing in the top-5 this year, possibly trumping Romo when all is said and done.

Bruno Boys Whooley: ROMO. Had Romo played a full season in 2008, then, without a doubt, I'd be going with Donovan McNabb here. After all, while Romo lost big time target, T.O. this off-season, McNabb received a new toy to play with in dynamic rookie wide out, Jeremy Maclin.

However, Romo is the one with the most room to improve on his 2008 numbers as the 3,448 passing yards and 26 TDs he notched came in just 13 games as he missed three games with a broken pinkie. As long as Romo stays healthy for the whole season, he should see an increase in his overall numbers, even with T.O. not in the picture.

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3. New York Giants Defense vs. Philadelphia Eagles Defense

Bruno Boys Whooley: PHILADELPHIA. Fantasy owners would be happy to own either of these defenses as both landed in the top 10 among fantasy defenses in 2008; however, in having to choose one over the other, I'm going with the Eagles. Sure, they loss safeties, Brian Dawkins and Sean Considine, and cornerback, Lito Sheppard,  but they did well to fill those holes by bringing in cornerback, Ellis Hobbs, from New England, and safety, Sean Jones, from Cleveland.

Meanwhile, the Giants also endured a loss on the defensive side of the ball, and their's is a bit more detrimental as the team loss defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolu, who took over the head coaching job for the St. Louis Rams.

Bruno Boys Ziza: PHILADELPHIA. No, I am not smoking anything funny. Both are very talented defensive groups, but when it comes down to it I really believe that the New York Giants offense will take a pretty solid hit in 2009, while the Philadelphia Eagles offense has improved significantly.

That being said, the Giants defense will be on the field longer than in years past, while the Eagles defense will most likely stay off the field more often than in the past. That swing for these two solid NFC East defenses gives the nodge to the Eagles. 

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Bruno Boys’ Quick Hits (Opinions Delivered Harder than Ray Lewis Tackles!)

1. Best addition by a team in the NFC East?

Bruno Boys Ziza:  Have you ever heard of addition by subtraction? I am sure everyone has. With that being said, I think the biggest addition was the subtraction of Terrell Owens  from the Dallas Cowboys.

His departure will most likely add fantasy football value to Jason Witten, Roy Williams, Patrick Crayton, Marion Barber and Felix Jones. With that type of possible improvement from all of these players, I really believe the loss of Owens is a huge addition to the Cowboys.

Bruno Boys Whooley: In 2008, the Washington Redskins finished fourth in the league in total defense, allowing just 288.8 yards and 18.5 points per game. Still, team owner, Daniel Snyder, felt there was some room for improvement; thus, he opened up his wallet in order to bring defensive tackle, Albert Haynesworth, to town.

Haynesworth, who had 9 sacks in 2008, should help a Redskins' team that tallied just 24 sacks in 2008 get even more pressure on opposing quarterbacks, making them a true contender for that top defensive spot in 2009.
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2. Biggest sleeper from the NFC East?

Bruno Boys Whooley: Typically, in the world of fantasy football, we focus on the third year as being the breakout year for wide receivers, but I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that year two will be DeSean Jackson's.

The addition of rookie wide receiver, Jeremy Maclin, should take some of the pressure off Jackson, who was the team's primary receiving threat in 2008, racking up 912 receiving yards and 2 receiving TDs. Look for those numbers to rise in 2009.

Bruno Boys Ziza: I wasn't talking jibberish earlier about Donovan McNabb. I really believe that he has the opportunity to shine big time in 2009. With all the additions on offense bringing improvement to an already solid offensive group and the continued effort from a solid defense, McNabb should be on the field longer this year than in years past.

And, now that he has Jeremy Maclin to be a down the field target to go along with DeSean Jackson, I can see a lot of high yardage games coming from that time on the field this year.

I wouldn't hesitate at all in making him my quarterback this year, but for all of those that do end up with him, do yourself a huge favor and grab a very solid QB2 as McNabb has had issues with staying on the field.
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3. Biggest possible bust for the NFC East?

Bruno Boys Whooley: Eli Manning has been solid during his time as the New York Giants' starting quarterback, tallying at least 3,200 passing yards and 21 passing TDs in each season since 2005. But, those totals appear to be in jeopardy for 2009.

As discussed earlier in this roundtable, the Giants will be without both Plaxico Burress  and Amani Toomer in 2008, leaving Manning with a group of young and inexperienced wide receivers to throw to. As such, Manning could very well regress, making him no more than a low-end QB1 / high-end QB2.

Bruno Boys Ziza: I hate to say it, because I am rooting for the guy, but Brandon Jacobs is going to be targeted heavily this year, unless the New York Giants can establish a solid passing game, which is still up in the air.

Jacobs took a huge step last season becoming a touchdown machine, but if he is focused on heavily, that machine could break down. At this moment, I wouldn't spend a high pick on Jacobs, rather looking to grab a sure-fire top-notch wide receiver instead, unless someone like Frank Gore slips further down than I expect.
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