Fantasy Football Rankings 2011: NFL Free Agency Updates

As we wind down the first week of the 2011 free agency, the Fantasy Philosophers decided it would be a good idea to get you up to date with our reassessed rankings and view points from around the league. Below we have our full podcast (runs about an hour) as we touch on various teams and players.

Below I have a quick breakdown write-up for the various sections of the podcast and will have a link taking to you our podcast center where we broke down each section for a short podcast if you would like to listen to a specific part of the full show.

Fantasy Football Rankings 2011: NFL Free Agency Updates (Full Podcast)

Eagles Defense Ready To Soar

While it was expected that the Eagles would bolster their defense with a cornerback and another pass-rusher to go with Trent Cole, no one would have believed they would walk away with so much talent thus far. Not only did Philadelphia acquire DRC in the trade for Kevin Kolb, but they signed top free-agent corner Nnamdi Asomugha as well.

On the front line, the Eagles then signed Titans pass-rush star Jason Babin, and bolstered the tackle position with the addition of Collin Jenkins from the Packers. In what could set the stage for a “dream team” scenario, the Eagles defense is likely to be the first team defense off the board at your fantasy drafts this summer (listen for more).

Seahawks Land a Pair of Vikings

With the additions of Sidney Rice and new starting quarterback Tavaris Jackson, the Seahawks look to repeat in the West. One thing Seattle has done to help the offense improve, beyond adding a playmaker like Rice, is they’ve continued to add help on the offensive line. Jackson's success will be crucially important for this team if they are hoping to make it over the .500 mark this season (listen for more).

Patriots Trade for Chad Ochocinco

While Wes Welker should remain the top Patriots receiver taken on draft day, it’s Chad Ochocinco that you should target for at least standard leagues. Look for Ochocinco to move into the top 30 receivers in ADP charts during the month of August, as you should have a legitimate chance of acquiring him as your No. 3 receiver.

This is a solid value for Ochocinco as he’s going to be targeted frequently by Tom Brady and could have one of the better seasons he’s posted in a few years (listen for more).

Bears Starting To Look Like the Cowboys

The Bears must have stars in their eyes as they nabbed a few Cowboys off the free-agent market in Roy Williams and Marion Barber. Both will play a factor in Chicago’s offense, but it is Williams who has interesting sleeper potential. The last time Orch Dork was a respectable fantasy option was in 2007, and at that time, his offensive coordinator was Mike Martz.

For the past few seasons, the Bears have failed to land a receiver with the type of size Williams possesses, so he should make for an instant threat in the red zone. If you happen to play in a league of 12 teams or more, give Williams a look in the later part of your draft (listen for more).

Do You Smell what Rivera Is Cookin’?

I can’t tell you how many times bad teams have failed to keep notable veterans when their time comes up to re-sign before hitting the free-agent market. The Panthers had a bunch of key players ready to sign with anyone but at the end of the day, Rivera managed to keep DeAngelo Williams, Charles Johnson, James Anderson and even found a way to avoid trading Steve Smith away.

This is great news for Panthers fans, and keeping these players around helps ensure that Cam Newton has a better chance to find success in the NFL (listen for more).

Donovan McNabb to the Vikings

Landing Donovan McNabb via trade was probably a good move for Christian Ponder’s development. No, McNabb isn’t the same style of quarterback, but the veteran will start for the Vikings, and that gives Ponder valuable time to sit back and learn for hopefully a full season (listen for more).

Titans' Offensive Outlook

With a respectable veteran running the show in Matt Hasselbeck, star running back Chris Johnson has a better opportunity to find consistent production from week to week. That said, Johnson may find himself in a holdout situation that could last deep into the month of August, and that could cause his ADP value to dip some as we head closer to the start of September.

Third-year receiver Kenny Britt needs to step up and find consistent production on and off the field, and hopefully he has a good preseason so we can feel better about his odds of landing on fantasy rosters (listen for more).

Moreno To Start after All

For all the talk that came out of Denver about the dissatisfaction of Knowshon Moreno’s abilities to be a starting running back, the team balked on signing DeAngelo Williams and gave Moreno the starting job upon signing Willis McGahee. This could be a decent situation for Moreno after all and he should be a clear top-25 tailback to select this summer (listen for more).

Reggie Bush a Feature Back?

It looks like the Dolphins are set to ride Reggie Bush as the starting tailback, and word out of Miami is that he may see over 15 touches per game. Look for Bush to have a solid first half of the season, but he will break down, and when that happens, you will want to have Daniel Thomas stashed on your bench.

Look for the rookie to be a factor in fantasy leagues in the second half (listen for more).

Cardinals Get their Man at a Hefty Price

Let’s hope Kevin Kolb is everything he’s been pumped up to be for the Cardinals' sake as the team gave up DRC, a second-round pick and signed him to a contract worth over $60 million. Clearly, Arizona was desperate for a quarterback, and they needed one that would potentially entice Larry Fitzgerald to re-up with the team next spring (listen for more).

Colts Re-Sign Joseph Addai and Peyton Manning

The re-signing of Joseph Addai put a dagger into the hopes of Delone Carter finding his way into a starting job to being the season. Then again, Addai is an injury waiting to happen so if you can afford to stash Carter on your bench, he’s worth holding onto as he figures to start at some point.

As for Peyton Manning, there is a reason why I moved him down to the seventh-best quarterback to draft a few weeks ago. For the second offseason, Manning has had surgery on his neck and probably won’t do much throwing of any kind until we get close to the start of the season. I figure Manning will find a way to start Week 1, but I question if we will see Manning throw for over 4,500 yards and 30-plus touchdowns this season (listen for more).

More 2011 Fantasy Football Draft Tips

Rankings/Outlooks

Projected Stats

ADP Values

Cheat Sheets

Mock Drafts