AFC East: Fantasy Football Roundtable

It’s already July, the hot dogs and burgers are hitting the grill and you can hear the joys of summer all through the streets. That can only mean one thing, fantasy football is right around the corner.

While we are enjoying our summer here as well, the Bruno Boys have still been very hard at work as we have launched the first part of our new website as well as the 2009 Bruno Boys Cheat Sheet Online Magazine. In the middle of that mix we found Bruno Boys Cavigs and Bruno Boys Ziza having a conversation about the AFC East.

 

AFC East Burning Questions

1. With the trade of Matt Cassel, the New England Patriots have all but admitted that Tom Brady is ready to rock and roll. What do you see from him in 2009?

Bruno Boys Cavigs: Brady will be good in 2009, but he won’t be 2007 good.  Don’t expect him to flirt with 50 touchdown passes again or throw 4+ TD passes on multiple weeks, but he still will be a top five fantasy quarterback and help many fantasy football teams reach the promise land. With that being said, I think a lot of Brady owners will be letdown throughout the season and you will find out why later in this article.

Bruno Boys Ziza: While Tom Brady looks to bounce back from his devastating injury of 2008, it is completely unfair to expect what he did in 2007 as he enjoyed the best season by any quarterback ever.

He will still be a top-5 fantasy quarterback this year and possibly even have the type of year that launches him to the best quarterback once again.

Let’s not forget that he has Randy Moss and Wes Welker to throw to, and with the Patriots looking to make another run at a championship he will definitely be slinging the pigskin around, everywhere.

I can see him going as a top-3 quarterback this year in fantasy drafts; I just wouldn’t want to be the one using a second round pick on him.

 

2. With the departure of Brett Favre, do you think Thomas Jones’ value as a fantasy running back takes a hit this year?

Bruno Boys Ziza: While Thomas Jones will be affected by the departure of Brett Favre as opposing defenses will be able to focus more on the New York Jets running game, there will be other factors that will affect Jones’ fantasy value. He is creeping up there in age; being in his 30’s will start taking a toll on him.

Word out of the Jets headquarters is that the depth chart could go three deep, with Leon Washington being the primary back to get a solid amount of Jones’ lost carries. I see Jones as nothing more than a low-end RB2 in deeper leagues and more than likely a RB3 when all is said and done.

Bruno Boys Cavigs: I think Ziza couldn’t have said it better, the biggest impact isn’t just they lost Favre, it’s the age factor combined with the Jets having Washington and Shonn Greene breathing down his throat for touches.

Jones was a workhorse last season, and for a good portion of the year he was the top fantasy running back in the business, but with the Jets drafting Greene and wanting him to play right out of the gate it’s a true indicator that they aren’t convinced he can keep it up moving forward.

Right now Jones grades out as a low-end RB2 in my book and if he fails to find pay-dirt at the rate he did last year he very well could be a RB3 by seasons’ end, like Ziza said.

 

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

1. Randy Moss vs. Wes Welker
Bruno Boys Cavigs: MOSS. If Tom Brady was still injured you can make the case for Welker, but with Brady back and the ready to prove something you can expect this duo to explode once again in 2009. T

he only consideration I give to Welker is in a PPR league, but expect Moss to see an increase in receptions this year after hauling in just 69 receptions in 2008.

Bruno Boys Ziza: MOSS. Cavigs, as you and I both know, last year was pretty even up as far as their stats went after it was translated into fantasy football points.

There is something different this year though and that is Tom Brady, not Matt Cassel will be throwing to Randy Moss and Wes Welker. While both will be no less than a top-WR2 this year, if I were needing to grab a wide receiver out of this bunch, I wouldn’t hesitate to grab Moss.

 

2. Ronnie Brown vs. Marshawn Lynch 

Bruno Boys Ziza: BROWN. Both players are going to be solid RB2 options this year, but it is Ronnie Brown, not Marshawn Lynch that I feel deserves your consideration as your RB2.

Not only will you be able to draft Brown later than Lynch in most leagues, but he will out produce him as well. With all the positive talk coming from the Miami Dolphins about Brown this offseason, I can’t help but get excited about watching and seeing if Brown can pick up where he left off a few years back before getting injured.

I have him pegged as one of the best bargains this year in fantasy football.

Bruno Boys Cavigs: LYNCH. With Marshawn Lynch being suspended for the first thee games it’s easy to predict Ronnie Brown will have the better season, but I’m going against the grain here and projecting 13 games of Lynch to outshine a full season from Brown.

You can make a strong case for either, as they both are no more than solid RB2 options, but with Buffalo adding Terrell Owens it will force defenses to worry about the passing and give Lynch plenty of holes to run through.

Neither have formidable fantasy playoff schedules but Lynch is the durable back and should get back on track after a tough showing in ‘08.

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

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

Bruno Boys Cavigs: How can you go against the Buffalo Bills signing Terrell Owens to a free agent contract this offseason?

When Owens was signed, no one could have been happier than quarterback Trent Edwards.

In his first full season as a starter, Edwards showed signs of being a solid quarterback at this level but he never put together back-to-back big games from a fantasy football standpoint. 

A large part of this had to with the lack of play makers at the wide receiver position, as they relied heavily on running back Marshawn Lynch and Lee Evans to carry the offense.

With Owens now in the mix, Edwards’ go-to receiver will be a future Hall-of-Famer who has 139 career touchdowns in 13 NFL seasons. 

Now that’s a key addition!

Bruno Boys Ziza:  Although I personally do not like the guy, I think Terrell Owens was the best addition by any AFC East team this offseason.

It isn’t that I believe that he will have a top-notch fantasy football year, as I don’t believe he will.

His time of being a top-end WR1 are past him in my mind, but he will make players like Trent Edwards and Lee Evans even better by just being there.

While he shouldn’t be relied on as your top WR in fantasy leagues, he will do enough to make a very good WR2.

2. Biggest sleeper from the AFC East?

Bruno Boys Ziza: While a lot of people may disagree, Ronnie Brown really is on my radar to have a breakout NFL season and he will become an excellent RB2 in deeper leagues.

He is healthy, isn’t showing any signs of babying his injury and he has the attitude to become a top back in this league.

That is all that I need to hear to think that Brown, a running back that you should be able to get as a low-end RB2 in deeper leagues, yet should play well above that as my sleeper of this division.

Bruno Boys Cavigs:  The Miami Dolphins took a lot of flack when they drafted wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. with the 9th overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, but after two seasons under his belt Ginn Jr. is ready to make a splash in the league.In 2008, Ginn Jr. had had 56 receptions for 790 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns, but what was most impressive about his statistics was that he averaged 14.1 yards per reception.

Another step in the right direction for the third year wide-out is his year to year progression. From 2007 to 2008 Ginn Jr. saw an 65% increase in receptions and an 88% increase in receiving yards and there is no doubt in my mind he hasn’t reached his ceiling.

With Miami expected to make him a more dynamic part of the offense you should see a steady increase in Ginn Jr’s overall numbers.

 

3. Biggest possible bust for the AFC East?

Bruno Boys Cavigs: Thomas Jones is the obvious choice but I’m going to live on the edge a little bit and say Tom Brady.

There is a no doubt about it, Brady will be a QB1 and a key ingredient to a fantasy football championship, but many owners are going to draft him thinking he’s going to throw 50 touchdowns again.

Remember guys, that was 2007 and Brady wasn’t fresh off a torn ACL injury. Brady will produce, but he will produce in the range of 28-32 touchdowns and his owners shouldn’t expect many 30+ point weeks like they grew accustomed to in ‘07.

Bruno Boys Ziza: While I said he was the best addition to the division, I also believe that Terrell Owens is going to be overrated because of his name and past production and will get drafted as a mid-WR1 in a lot of leagues this year.

The problem though is age is starting to catch up to him, he doesn’t have the greatest quarterback in the world throwing to him and a lot of his late season games will be played in bad weather. When looking for your top WR this fantasy season, Owens is one that I recommend passing on.

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