7. Pemberton "ROY" Hobbs

Nigga P is back in action and put together a fine draft in between coaching an interception game on the beach and stuffing his face in some saggy sand bags at the pony.  It’s a pleasure to have such a character back in the Fools that always spices up the draft party and any Fools event. 

Draft Recap

Carpatard 1. (7) LaDainian Tomlinson 2. (14) Andre Johnson 3. (27) Terrell Owens 4. (34) Joseph Addai 5. (47) Roy Williams 6. (54) Carson Palmer 7. (67) Thomas Jones 8. (74) Chris Cooley 9. (87) Donald Driver 10. (94) Chad Pennington 11. (107) Percy Harvin 12. (114) Beanie Wells 13. (127) Philadelphia 14. (134) Marc Bulger 15. (147) Michael Crabtree 16. (154) Steve Smith 17. (167) David Akers

Roster

QB’s:  Carson Palmer, Chad Pennington

RB’s:  LaDanian Tomlinson, Joseph Addai, Thomas Jones, Beanie Wells

WR’s:  Andre Johnson, Terrell Owens, Roy Williams, Donald Driver, Percy Harvin, Steve Smith

TE’s:  Chris Cooley

DEF:  Philadelphia

Quarterbacks:

                The Pembo of course selected his favorite player in Carson Palmer.  This is without a doubt the biggest high risk/high reward pick in the draft.  With Ochocinco, Coles, and Henry, a healthy Palmer could realistically get back to his old form and put up 4,000 yards and 30 TD’s.  However, an arm injury can be lingering well after a surgery, especially for a quarterback, and it remains to be seen whether or not Palmer has fully put the injury behind him.  In Miami, offensive coordinator Dan Henning really brings out the best of Chad Pennington.  With an array of timing and crossing routes and short drop backs with quick passes, Pennington is able to use his smarts and accurate passing, not allowing defenses to exploit his arm strength.  One downfall to the Miami system, is the emphasis on the running game and obviously the “wildcat” and quickly getting the ball into their speedy playmakers’ hands.  While Pennington is a very consistent and efficient quarterback, his fantasy production relies heavily on yards after the catch.  Otherwise, the Dolphins style of play limits his potential to have huge games in terms of fantasy points.  Marc Bulger has been riddled with injuries and an awful line the past few years but should have a lot of attempts from the Rams playing catch up in most games.

Running backs:

                I really think L.T. will be back to regular form this year after injuries plagued him all of last season.  However, I think Norv Turner will give Sproles quite a few touches per game to keep Tomlinson fresh and healthy throughout the year.  Flying under the radar, Thomas Jones quietly put together 1300 yds and 13 TD’s with all of the attention on Brett Favre.  The Jets should run the ball well again this year, but Leon Washington will see an increase in playing time as well as a few carries from Shonn Greene, the rookie out of Iowa.  Joseph Addai was one of the worst picks in the draft at 34^th overall in the 4^th round as I expect Donald Brown to be the main guy in the backfield as the season wears on.   Brown, a heady player with a great all around game, fits perfect into the Colts system and will gradually steal playing time away from Addai.  Beanie Wells, whether starting or not, shouldn’t get enough carries to be a difference maker in the Cardinals pass heavy offense. 

Wide receivers:

                Without a doubt, this is one of the best receiving units in the draft.  Andre Johnson should once again be the best receiver in the league as long as Schaub can stay healthy.  Andre caught 10 or more balls in a ridiculous 7 games last year.  To put it in perspective, he had more catches in just those 7 games than Randy Moss had in the entire season.  Terrell Owens should be a dynamic playmaker in Buffalo.  Trent Edwards is a very accurate short to mid-range passer so expect the number of receptions for Owens to increase dramatically from last year.  Filling the void left in Big D will be Roy Williams.  Although his first year in Dallas was downright awful, Williams will now have every opportunity to have a huge number of targets from Romo every game.  Donald Driver should have a terrific year in the Packers sensational passing game and both Percy Harvin and Steve Smith could be sleepers given the fact that neither the Vikings or Giants have much quality depth at receiver. 

The Rest:

                Perhaps the crunkest guy in the entire league, the Cooley, should have a solid season and drastically improve upon his 1 TD from last year.  And the Redskins have to be the crunkest team in the league except for Shane Suisham who seems to suck at fantasy football as much as he sucks at kicking.  The draft was also pretty entertaining.  Mr. Hobbs has the Eagles defense, which is filled with fast playmakers, but will definitely miss the absence of Brian Dawkins as well as the late Jim Johnson who was one of the best defensive coordinators of all time. 

Ratings

Quarterbacks:      C             80

Running backs:    C             81

Wide receivers:     A+           98

Tight end:              B             88

Defense:                 B             N/A

Overall:                  B-            86

Season Outlook: 

                The health of Palmer will be critical for this team to have a shot at competing for the championship.  The receivers should count for the bulk of the scoring and a bounce back year from L.T. is a necessity.  Thomas Jones and Joseph Addai need to score quite a bit of touchdowns to counter the lack of reps they will get.  Quality depth and stars at the wide receiver position provide great trading options to revamp weaker positions due to injuries or lack of performance.