Start Him

• Chris Johnson, RB, Tennessee Titans: Johnson just signed a huge contract and can now solely focus on football and being the premiere back in a new Titan offense. He scored 14 touchdowns in 2009 and 11 in 2010, and he is a solid bet to continue to put up the rushing numbers in 2011. He’ll be going up against the questionable Jacksonville defense in week 1.
• Michael Vick, QB, Philadelphia Eagles: Like Johnson, Vick just signed a new contract making him the QB of the future with the Eagles. Vick had a breakout year in 2010, throwing for over 3,000 yards and 21 TDs in just 12 games. But, he can also use his legs, making him a dual threat. The Rams will be his first victim of 2011.

Sit Him

• Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis Colts: Sitting Manning would normally be considered ludicrous. But, the Colts QB has been limited in training camp by a neck injury and is a question mark heading into week 1. Play it safe with Manning and give the other QB on team a rare start.

Sleeper

• Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions: Chances are Matt Stafford wasn’t picked very high in your fantasy draft if he was even drafted at all. And for good reason: Injuries have limited him to just 13 games his first two years in the league. But, Stafford and the Lions are poised for big things in 2011, having finally recovered from the Matt Millen era. Prior to Detroit’s final preseason game at Buffalo, Stafford has completed 77 percent of his passes for five TDs and zero turnovers. And, with a questionable backfield, look for Stafford to begin airing it out at Tampa Bay on September 11.

Yes Peyton Hillis has broken out onto the fantasy scene and has done fairly well, but don’t get too excited because what you see is what you get. What i mean by this is the performances you are seeing from him now are as good as he will do. Hillis dose not have any glaring attributes besides the fact that he has the typical bowling ball fullback power but other than in short yardage situations it dose not come in handy that much. His speed is  at best decent and he lacks the ability to make defenders miss. But what he lacks in the speed department he makes up in power and tough yards. What this means is he will almost never have huge games, but he will be consistent as long as he stays healthy which has remained to be seen from him, and his running style dose not bode well for staying healthy with all the contact he takes. But as long as he stays healthy he will consistently have close to 100 yards and/or a TD in each game. Which when it comes to fantasy that’s what I value most. Not big game potential which some people cant get over, but consistent players who score 10+ points in standard scoring leagues. A big reason on why i think Hillis is doing great is the fact his O line is among one of the best in the league. Anchored by Joe Thomas, it is the driving force behind Hillis’s success. So far this season Hillis has averaged 4.9 yards per carry, that in its self should scream Consistency considering he has had only 2 carries for more than 20 yards. He also has 4 touchdowns this season which is tied for the league lead. So if you have him on your team expect consitent play every week from him but no Chris Johnson type games. Also add to the fact that he is a fairly decent pass catcher, in two games as a starter Hillis had 9 catches for 44 yards. Which in PPR leagues is a nice addition to the consistent 100 yard or 1 TD a game to expect out of him. So lets go over the Pro’s and Con’s of Hillis. Pro’s, hard runner, great yards per carry, great goal line back, consistent, top tier line and great hands. Con’s, not a big play threat, no second gear, takes a lot of punishment with tough running style, possibly injury prone. For me the Pro’s outweigh the Con’s for Hillis.

But this breakout didn’t come as a surprise to many including me. In Hillis’s rookie year with the Denver Broncos he got the chance to play significant time for Denver starting in week 9 and sadly ending in week 14 with a season ending Hamstring tear. But in that span of  5 games Hillis accumulated 329 yards rushing on 65 carries, 175 yards receiving on 13 receptions and a total of 6 yes 6 touchdowns. In standard leagues that’s 85 points in 6 games which is pretty good considering he was a rookie, now he has a chance to show what he can do. And for me when Montario Hardesty went down with a season ending ACL tear and Harrison was looking terrible during the preseason, i went and picked myself up Hillis a week before the season started. This might be my key pickup for my Fantasy season this year.

So if you are asking yourself should i try to trade Hillis while he is hot or keep him and hope his performances stay consistent, please take my advice and keep him. He will stay consistent and score you good points on a regular basis as long as he is healthy, so lets keep our fingers crossed..

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We’ve been inching McFadden up our cheat sheets all summer long – this guy is an amazing talent and it appears the Raiders are ready to take advantage of it.

This could mean a few less carries for Lynch, but not too many would make sense.  We’ve seen Marshawn be much more effective with 20+ carries a game so although Jackson might be a nice back to spell Lynch he’s not a great fantasy play behind a guy like Lynch.

However, the Falcons are indicating they’d like to see Turner carry the ball more like 275 times in 2009.

FantasyDraftEdge.com Take

That’s easy to say in July but when it comes time to win games and Jerious Norwood is hurt again they’ll give the ball to Turner.  Yes, the Falcons have more weapons on offense but we expect Matt Ryan to regress a bit this season and the run game despite best intentions for balance will still be the primary focus of the Falcons offense.

FantasyDraftEdge.com Take

This is more about a lack of competition than a glowing endorsement of Stafford.  If the #1 overall draft pick can’t beat out Dante Culpepper and Drew Stanton for the job you didn’t draft very well.  We’ve expected all along that this is Stafford’s job to lose.

Brett Favre a Viking! Yes, we’re back to FavreGate on FantasyDraftEdge.com but with reports that’s he IS going to attend the Minnesota Vikings training camp and new rumors that a deal is done for him to be the Vikings QB is tough to continue to ignore.   Favre could be a nice mid to upper level fantasy QB with a ground game and offensive line.

Alex Smith Stunning in Practice – The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that QB Alex Smith is out performing Shaun Hill by a significant margin in practice right now.  Although we believe the Alex Smith may still have a decent NFL season in him somewhere; being better than Shaun Hill is hardly a resume builder for Canton.  Someone will win this job but without some significant real game evidence to the contrary neither will be a great fantasy lineup option.

Bernard Scott impressive for the Bengals - Rookie RBs can often look quick in minicamp, and Scott has according to many reports.  If he can continue this impressive performance and stay out of trouble (not easy in Cinncy apparently, and Scott had 5 arrests and attended 4 different colleges) this could be a nice late round, nobody even noticed pick in your next fantasy draft.

Braylon Edwards not likely going anywhere – Very similiar to our comments recently on Brandon Marshall and his trade demands – it takes two to tango.  The Browns have a high asking price and Edwards not exactly in high demand.  As with Marshall, perhaps Edwards focuses and produces a big season to make him more tradable.

Although ‘indefinetely’ can mean a lot of things even considering drafting Stallworth as a WR on your fantasy team right now does not seem like a smart play.  FantasyDraftEdge.com will of course monitor his status as the season approaches and our customizable cheat sheets will be adjusted accordingly.

More on Donte’ Stallworth being suspended.