Fantasy Football News & Notes (7/25)

Forget Christmas, this is the most exciting time of the year. We all remember what it’s like as a child on Christmas Eve or the night before your birthday. That, "I can’t take it" excitement that every child gets before the anticipation of what present they may or may not be getting. That’s how many of us fantasy football junkies get as we await the opening of NFL training camps, because we all know that the opening of training camp means that the fantasy football season is fast approaching and so is our fantasy football draft.

This is the time of year that we all really start to crack into our magazines, or in the case of the Bruno Boys Nation, we open the free online PDF that contains the most comprehensive fantasy football magazine available, the Bruno Boys Fantasy Football Cheat Sheets, and we really start to prepare for our fantasy football drafts.

As you prepare for your upcoming fantasy football draft, the Bruno Boys are here to keep you up-to-date on news around the NFL that could have an impact on your draft and season. This week we will cover the lawsuit filed against Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and a few potential contract holdouts as we enter 2009.

Big Ben Served with Civil Lawsuit

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was served with a civil lawsuit last weekend in Lake Tahoe. A Nevada woman has accused Roethlisberger of raping her in a Harrah’s Lake Tahoe penthouse in July of 2008. The two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback was in Lake Tahoe on both occasions to compete in a celebrity golf outing.

The 31-year-old woman, who was a VIP casino host at Harrah’s said she was in Roethlisberger’s room checking on a problem with his television when he forced himself upon her, but she never filed a criminal complaint. She didn’t even mention the incident to Harrah’s executives until this past April when her lawyers sent a letter informing Harrah’s of the incident. Harrah’s lawyers responded with a letter trying to dissuade the woman of filing claims against Roethlisberger and Harrah’s.

In a statement this week at the Steelers’ practice complex Roethlisberger called the allegations “false and vicious”.  He did not answer questions, but he did say that he is going to respect the legal process. He went on to say that he is confident the truth will prevail. Roethlisberger also said that he would remain focused on the upcoming season with the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers.

The lawsuit should not affect his playing status for the upcoming season and because this is a civil suit and not a criminal case Roethlisberger is not looking at jail time. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, will likely review the case, but without a third party witness of the event this is very much a “he said, she said” situation. Keep an eye on this situation, but as you study for your upcoming fantasy football draft Big Ben should remain as a low-end QB1 option as he remains the No. 13 ranked quarterback in the Bruno Boys Cheat Sheet Rankings.

Running backs Washington and Jones could be holdouts at Jets camp

According to reports in the New York Daily News, New York Jets running back Leon Washington said that he is still negotiating a new contract with the team and he is not sure if he will report to training camp without a new deal.

This leaves the Jets' running back situation a little dicey heading into training camp, especially when you consider that the team’s starting running back, Thomas Jones, also has contract issues. Both Washington and Jones had productive seasons for the Jets in 2008 and a holdout from either player could hurt the team’s offense. The Jets did prepare for this situation drafting Shonn Greene from the University of Iowa in the second round of April’s NFL draft.

Keep an eye on this situation heading into training camp, a holdout by either of these running backs could affect the rankings of all three players. Jones is currently ranked as the 19th best running back option entering ‘09 but things could change if he continues to hold out. Washington and Greene currently rank No. 48 and No. 56 respectively.

Boldin still awaiting a new contract, Cardinals don’t expect holdout situation

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver, Anquan Boldin is still awaiting the contract extension he requested last year and the Arizona Republic reports that the Cardinals are still several weeks away from seriously addressing this situation, but team says that they do expect that Boldin will show up for training camp on time.

Boldin has been requesting this contract extension since training camp last year, but he went on to gain 1,038 yards on 89 catches with eleven touchdowns in 2008, starting just eleven games due to injuries. Boldin, along with Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston form arguably the best wide receiver trio in the NFL. Boldin is currently ranked No. 9 by the Bruno Boys, while Fitzgerald is ranked No. 1 and Breaston is No. 36. A training camp holdout by Boldin could alter these rankings, so make sure to check back each weeks as we updated our player rankings.

Brandon Marshall to appear in court August 13th on domestic battery charge

According to reports from the Denver Post, Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall will appear in an Atlanta courtroom on August 13th, on a domestic battery charge. If he is convicted he will likely be suspended longer then the one game he was suspended for similar charges last season, when he was not convicted.

Whether he is convicted or not, Marshall could face another suspension from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, which could make it hard for the Broncos to honor Marshall’s trade request he made earlier this off-season after the team traded quarterback Jay Cutler. Marshall who had 104 catches for 1,265 yards with six touchdowns in 2008, is the Bruno Boys No. 11 ranked wide receiver. A suspension or even a trade could affect Marshall’s ranking moving forward and you better believe the Bruno Boys will be here to keep you up-to-date.

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