Kurt Warner Highlights Fantasy Picks

While many other fantasy football publications take a hiatus from talking football from February until June, we here at the Bruno Boys Fantasy Football are always talking football.

As I stated last week, the NFL has become a year-round business. There's free agency, trades, the rookie draft, mini camps, and other offseason workouts that go on as NFL teams prepare for the upcoming season with championship aspirations.

So if the NFL is a year-round business, shouldn’t fantasy football also be a year-round business?

I am not trying to compare the building of an NFL team to the building of a fantasy football team. I realize that the NFL is a billion dollar industry and most people would classify fantasy football as a hobby, but if you want to build a championship fantasy football team the most important thing is to be prepared.

With that in mind, the Bruno Boys feel an obligation to keep our readers as informed as possible of any NFL stories that go on during the offseason that may have fantasy football implications for the upcoming year.

So whether you are preparing for an upcoming fantasy baseball draft or you use this time of year to make up for time lost with your significant other from August until January, be sure to check in with the Bruno Boys on a daily basis.

So kick back in that comfy leather chair, grab your favorite beverage, and enjoy some NFL free agency talk from a fantasy football perspective.

Tomlinson Renegotiates Deal, Stays with Chargers

All-Pro running back and former NFL MVP LaDainian Tomlinson has agreed to a renegotiated three-year deal to remain with the San Diego Chargers. The contract signing puts an end to what has been a bit of a bizarre offseason in which Tomlinson and Chargers general manager A.J. Smith bantered back and forth through the media leaving many of us wondering whether or not Tomlinson would be back in San Diego.

This is good news for Chargers fans and fantasy football fans as well. In what was a down year due to injuries, L.T. still put up low-end RB1 numbers, totaling 1,536 yards with 12 touchdown in 2008.

Tomlinson is getting old for a running back—he turns 30 in June—but he still has some good years left in him.

Even with the Chargers retaining speedy running back Darren Sproles with the franchise tag, Tomlinson will likely remain the focal point of the Chargers offense. Sproles will have an expanded role, as San Diego will look to keep Tomlinson fresh throughout the year.

It’s not likely that Tomlinson will ever be the same player he was during his record-breaking 2006 campaign, but he is still worth a pick as a low-end RB1 worth taking in the first or second round of fantasy drafts this summer.

Kurt Warner Re-signs with Cardinals

After flirting with free agency, veteran quarterback Kurt Warner re-signed with the NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals. He inked a two-year deal worth $23 million, $19 million guaranteed that will keep him in Arizona until 2010.

Warner completed 401 of 598 passes for 4,583 yards with 30 touchdowns in 2008 while leading one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses.

Warner will head into the 2009 season as a QB1 from a fantasy football standpoint, likely going off the board between rounds 5-7. He has a great trio of receivers to throw to in Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, and Steve Breaston and he should once again post MVP like numbers.

Warner may have tested free agency for a minute, but he realized that Arizona is the perfect situation for him and he should remain a fantasy football stud for the next two seasons.

Ray Lewis Re-signs with Baltimore, Will Retire a Raven

Linebacker Ray Lewis has re-signed a multi-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens that will allow him to finish his career with Baltimore. This is great news for the Ravens who had already lost inside linebacker Bart Scott to the New York Jets via free agency and could not afford to lose Lewis, who has been the leader of their defense for 13 seasons.

The loss of Lewis could have been devastating to the Ravens as he is a 10-time Pro Bowler who had 117 total tackles (85 solo), 3.5 sacks, three interceptions, and two fumble recoveries in 2008. Re-signing Lewis keeps the Ravens as one of the top D/ST units in fantasy football.

Even with the loss of Scott and defensive coordinator Rex Ryan to the New York Jets, the Ravens will likely be one of the top three D/ST units off the boards in fantasy football drafts in 2009.

Cleveland Trades Winslow to Tampa Bay for Draft Picks

In what was somewhat of a surprising move, the Cleveland Browns traded tight end Kellen Winslow to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for undisclosed draft picks.

Winslow, who only played in 10 games due to injuries in 2008, had 43 catches for 428 yards with three touchdowns, but he is a former Pro Bowler who is capable of being an elite tight end when healthy.

He had 89 catches for 875 yards with three touchdowns in 2006 and 82 catches for 1,106 yards with five touchdowns in 2007 when he went to the Pro Bowl.

Winslow apparently did not fit into new Cleveland head coach Eric Mangini’s plans, which is fortunate for Tampa Bay. Winslow immediately becomes the No. 1 tight end option for the Buccaneers. If he can remain healthy he will help solidify a position that the Buccaneers have been continually inconsistent at over the years.

New Buccaneers offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski has said that Winslow will not only line up at tight end, but he may also play some snaps at slot position or even split wide out.

Injuries have kept Winslow from being an elite fantasy tight end, but if he is healthy coming out of training camp he should be considered as a mid-level TE1 drafted somewhere between rounds six and seven. He may be a bit of a risk, but he could definitely offer high rewards.

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