Minicamp Review: AFC East
With OTA and minicamp season winding to a close, the next six weeks before training camp represents the only truly dead time on the NFL calendar.
NFL teams are going on vacation, but Rotoworld isn't. Our online draft guide will be out soon, the first magazine is on newsstands, and we continue to update our news and blog daily.
We are also going to do a minicamp/OTA season review for each team, with the AFC East up first.
Buffalo Bills: This will be the first Dick Jauron-led offense to keep people awake in nine years as a head coach. It's still uncertain how often they will run the no huddle offense, but they finally have some pieces in place with Terrell Owens, Lee Evans, Fred Jackson emerging, and a bright quarterback in Trent Edwards. They also don't have a starting offensive lineman returning to play the same position, so they will have to get creative.
Owens has wowed onlookers in practice, but I'm not worried about how he starts the season. I'm worry how he'll finish after he began to struggle separating late last season. His presence is a great thing for Lee Evans. The AFC East teams consistent stopped Evans with double teams last year; now he has a better chance to make noise in the division. I'd draft Evans before Owens in standard leagues.
Marshawn Lynch added some weight this offseason, which is concerning because he didn't look as explosive early in his second season as he did in his first. There was some speculation that he wasn't in the best shape to start last year (by me!), and it's fair to wonder how he'll handle the time away from football as he serves his suspension. Still, the worries about a true committee with Jackson are overblown. Lynch is a fine value as a late third round RB2. Have confidence in your ability to draft depth and cover the suspension time he's gone. The three fantasy playoff weeks are more important.
Last year's second round pick and dynasty league darling James Hardy is staring at a lost season. He may start the year on the PUP list as he recovers from a torn ACL, and he's probably lost his spot on the depth chart to second-year riser Steve Johnson anyway.
Miami Dolphins: I wrote this on my Twitter page last week, but I'll repeat here: You can win with Miami's receivers. There may not be a breakout fantasy starter between Ted Ginn, Greg Camarillo, and Davone Bess, but they are a young, improving group. Ginn has reportedly enjoyed a great offseason. I'm skeptical he can be a star, but they need his speed and he can be a decent starter. We rank him as a WR4.
Camarillo has recovered faster than expected from a torn ACL, and looks on track to start in Week 1. Bess has also enjoyed a great off-season and can have a Wayne Chrebet-like career. Bess and Camarillo only look like fantasy reserves, with extra value in PPR leagues, but they will be nice values for depth.
Pat White won't be a huge fantasy football factor. He'll take some carries away from Ronnie Brown running the Wildcat, perhaps be a gadget receiver, but he won't be worth drafting and he won't pass Chad Henne on the quarterback depth chart this year. … I still expect Henne to pass Chad Pennington on the depth chart if Miami flirts with .500 this year. … Ronnie Brown is talking himself up for a big year, and he will come cheaply in drafts as a mid-level RB2 taken after the top-ten wideouts. He's in a contract year and his second season removed from ACL surgery. … News that owners shouldn't care about: Ernest Wilford has converted to tight end.
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New England Patriots: It's weird to think back to last Fall, when doomsday scenarios were being thrown around about Tom Brady's knee. In typical Patriots fashion, they've managed to squash the injury recovery story (relatively) and it would be a shock if Brady isn't ready to play well before Week 1. They are already allowing him to practice in muddy conditions. Don't be surprised if he barely plays in the preseason, despite his stated desire to do so. … Perhaps Brady's accuracy will be off, like most post-surgery quarterbacks, but the Patriots offense is going to remain highly aggressive and pass-first. I'm torn between Drew Brees and Brady as the top fantasy quarterback this season, but have Brees slated there now. He's safer.
We probably won't know much more about the Patriots backfield on the Sunday morning of Week 1 than we do now. Kevin Faulk will get his third downs, while Laurence Maroney, Fred Taylor, and Sammy Morris will share the rest. We may not know more after Week 1, because the workload will change depending on the opponent. That's why I don't want any Patriot runner in my first ten rounds or so. Maroney has the highest ceiling of the group, and I drafted him once in round 13. That's good value. … Joey Galloway appears locked into the team's third receiver role. He'll be a matchup problem, getting single coverage often, but his targets figure to be inconsistent. It's hard to see him as anymore more than a late-round fantasy flier.
New York Jets: Gang Green appears to have avoided any lasting contract holdouts with Thomas Jones and Leon Washington. With third-round bruiser and Rotoworld sleeper favorite Shonn Greene signed, the Jets have one of the best backfields in football and a good looking offensive line. A trade including Jones in training camp can't totally be ruled out if Greene has a huge camp, and it would be a surprise if this isn't Jones' last year with the club. … David Clowney opened OTA season as the team's starting wideout opposite Jerricho Cotchery, but he quickly lost ground to Chansi Stuckey. Stuckey, Cotchery, and Keller are all great options to go over the middle, but this team needs a burner down the sidelines. The Plaxico Burress rumors change depending on the day, but there is definitely a need here.
Mark Sanchez's practice reviews were mixed, but he improved as he went along. His battle with Kellen Clemens is a legitimate one, but anything close to a tie will still go to the rookie. A rookie quarterback means the Jets will likely throw for fewer than 3,000 yards, so the winner of their number two wideout battle isn't that big a deal. Keller figures to be their second best receiver anyhow.
With OTA and minicamp season winding to a close, the next six weeks before training camp represents the only truly dead time on the NFL calendar.
NFL teams are going on vacation, but Rotoworld isn't. Our online draft guide will be out soon, the first magazine is on newsstands, and we continue to update our news and blog daily.
We are also going to do a minicamp/OTA season review for each team, with the AFC East up first.
Buffalo Bills: This will be the first Dick Jauron-led offense to keep people awake in nine years as a head coach. It's still uncertain how often they will run the no huddle offense, but they finally have some pieces in place with Terrell Owens, Lee Evans, Fred Jackson emerging, and a bright quarterback in Trent Edwards. They also don't have a starting offensive lineman returning to play the same position, so they will have to get creative.
Owens has wowed onlookers in practice, but I'm not worried about how he starts the season. I'm worry how he'll finish after he began to struggle separating late last season. His presence is a great thing for Lee Evans. The AFC East teams consistent stopped Evans with double teams last year; now he has a better chance to make noise in the division. I'd draft Evans before Owens in standard leagues.
Marshawn Lynch added some weight this offseason, which is concerning because he didn't look as explosive early in his second season as he did in his first. There was some speculation that he wasn't in the best shape to start last year (by me!), and it's fair to wonder how he'll handle the time away from football as he serves his suspension. Still, the worries about a true committee with Jackson are overblown. Lynch is a fine value as a late third round RB2. Have confidence in your ability to draft depth and cover the suspension time he's gone. The three fantasy playoff weeks are more important.
Last year's second round pick and dynasty league darling James Hardy is staring at a lost season. He may start the year on the PUP list as he recovers from a torn ACL, and he's probably lost his spot on the depth chart to second-year riser Steve Johnson anyway.
Miami Dolphins: I wrote this on my Twitter page last week, but I'll repeat here: You can win with Miami's receivers. There may not be a breakout fantasy starter between Ted Ginn, Greg Camarillo, and Davone Bess, but they are a young, improving group. Ginn has reportedly enjoyed a great offseason. I'm skeptical he can be a star, but they need his speed and he can be a decent starter. We rank him as a WR4.
Camarillo has recovered faster than expected from a torn ACL, and looks on track to start in Week 1. Bess has also enjoyed a great off-season and can have a Wayne Chrebet-like career. Bess and Camarillo only look like fantasy reserves, with extra value in PPR leagues, but they will be nice values for depth.
Pat White won't be a huge fantasy football factor. He'll take some carries away from Ronnie Brown running the Wildcat, perhaps be a gadget receiver, but he won't be worth drafting and he won't pass Chad Henne on the quarterback depth chart this year. … I still expect Henne to pass Chad Pennington on the depth chart if Miami flirts with .500 this year. … Ronnie Brown is talking himself up for a big year, and he will come cheaply in drafts as a mid-level RB2 taken after the top-ten wideouts. He's in a contract year and his second season removed from ACL surgery. … News that owners shouldn't care about: Ernest Wilford has converted to tight end.
<!--RW-->
New England Patriots: It's weird to think back to last Fall, when doomsday scenarios were being thrown around about Tom Brady's knee. In typical Patriots fashion, they've managed to squash the injury recovery story (relatively) and it would be a shock if Brady isn't ready to play well before Week 1. They are already allowing him to practice in muddy conditions. Don't be surprised if he barely plays in the preseason, despite his stated desire to do so. … Perhaps Brady's accuracy will be off, like most post-surgery quarterbacks, but the Patriots offense is going to remain highly aggressive and pass-first. I'm torn between Drew Brees and Brady as the top fantasy quarterback this season, but have Brees slated there now. He's safer.
We probably won't know much more about the Patriots backfield on the Sunday morning of Week 1 than we do now. Kevin Faulk will get his third downs, while Laurence Maroney, Fred Taylor, and Sammy Morris will share the rest. We may not know more after Week 1, because the workload will change depending on the opponent. That's why I don't want any Patriot runner in my first ten rounds or so. Maroney has the highest ceiling of the group, and I drafted him once in round 13. That's good value. … Joey Galloway appears locked into the team's third receiver role. He'll be a matchup problem, getting single coverage often, but his targets figure to be inconsistent. It's hard to see him as anymore more than a late-round fantasy flier.
New York Jets: Gang Green appears to have avoided any lasting contract holdouts with Thomas Jones and Leon Washington. With third-round bruiser and Rotoworld sleeper favorite Shonn Greene signed, the Jets have one of the best backfields in football and a good looking offensive line. A trade including Jones in training camp can't totally be ruled out if Greene has a huge camp, and it would be a surprise if this isn't Jones' last year with the club. … David Clowney opened OTA season as the team's starting wideout opposite Jerricho Cotchery, but he quickly lost ground to Chansi Stuckey. Stuckey, Cotchery, and Keller are all great options to go over the middle, but this team needs a burner down the sidelines. The Plaxico Burress rumors change depending on the day, but there is definitely a need here.
Mark Sanchez's practice reviews were mixed, but he improved as he went along. His battle with Kellen Clemens is a legitimate one, but anything close to a tie will still go to the rookie. A rookie quarterback means the Jets will likely throw for fewer than 3,000 yards, so the winner of their number two wideout battle isn't that big a deal. Keller figures to be their second best receiver anyhow.
