Harem of the Gridiron Goddess: Walker Sports on the NFC South

Football fiends, friend of the Gridiron Goddess Walker Sports is back to share his views on the NFC South with us.

Walker-Sports NFC South Preview

After short break Walker-Sports is back and we are picking up right were we left off, talking about football. This time we are looking at the NFC South. Now I’ll be the first one to throw this out, but this may be the worse division in the league. Sorry fans, but I’m just not impressed by this division. Nonetheless let’s take a look and see if we can find some good here.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jeff Garcia looks to be the starting QB in 08, but Tampa has about 5 QB’s on the roster so that can change at any moment. More importantly the Bucs have Cadillac Williams who proved to be a stud in his rookie year. Last season he experienced a bit of sophomore slump but that should behind him. The key to the Bucs success will be their conditioning mainly cans this older team stay healthy for the entire 2008 season. If they can, Tampa will make another trip to the postseason.

New Orleans Saints: The Saints were devastated last season by injuries. The moment that Deuce McAllister went down with a knee injury everyone knew their season would be in jeopardy. Reggie Bush is a talented athlete but he is not an every down back. They need McAllister to come back healthy to run between the tackles and help change the pace in the running game. N.O. Also added Jeremy Shockey to their lineup this week, and he will be a valued addition to a lackluster passing attack. Colston is quickly becoming a top receiver but he is not there yet. Shockey will give Quarterback Drew Brees a needed weapon, and he will serve as a safety valve. The Saints will be a tough out.

Carolina Panthers: Jake Delhomme is returning after missing time last season with elbow surgery. The Panthers will need him to be on target and ready to go if they want to have success this year. Because of his age and the way his body is now breaking down that is why the Panthers have slipped to the third spot on this pole. DeShawn Foster will handle the bulk of the carries, and I believe he is poised for a break out season, after being relegated to returns and spot duty much of last season. Steve Smith is still a threat on the outside although he will never be able to regain the gaudy numbers he put up a couple seasons ago. Despite that he is a still a great deep threat. The Panthers had an eventful off-season that saw them lose the bulk of their defensive line. That is something that will definitely hurt them in the upcoming season. The Panthers went to the Super Bowl because of their defense and if they want to taste any bit of success they will need to rebuild their defense.

Atlanta Falcons: Well the Vick saga is finally behind them. That was followed up by the Bobby Petrino coaching debacle. Needless to say Atlanta has had their share of problems, and they won’t be going away anytime soon. This is a team with two second string QBs and two second string RB’s on the offensive side of the ball. Honestly the defense doesn’t look much better. The best Atlanta can do is hold on tight, wait for next years draft and be glad that Mike Vick’s contract is no longer on the books.

Your Fantasy Football Reality Check #4: Wide Receivers

It’s the final Thursday of July, NFL training camps have commenced, and we’re one week closer to the best day of our fantasy seasons- draft day. In the previous installments of Your Fantasy Football Reality Check we covered the two backfield positions, quarterbacks and running backs. This week we turn our attention to the growing core of highly productive wide receivers.

As a whole, there’s more overall depth at the wideout slot then there ever has been in fantasy football. When you begin to look inside the numbers, you’ll see that any member of the top ten are virtually interchangeable. To some degree you could extend that to the top 15. However, once you discover that the stock you have left to choose from has fallen below the top 20, I believe you’ll agree that mediocrity sets in extremely fast.

Last season I had the good fortune of drafting 4 receivers in the top 12, leaving me with the sense entering this season that depth at the wideout position was at an all time high. The truth of the matter is the players within the top 20 all have the potential to put up large yardage numbers while also grabbing 10 + TD’s. Outside of a few exceptions, from 21 down you’ll find a host of receivers that will contribute yardage-wise, but as far as cresting that 10 touchdown plateau, I don’t believe their chances are very favorable.

Any member of the top ten can be as comparatively productive week to week as any running back. With the rise of the running back by committee, it’s harder to determine which back will receive the goal line work. There’s a lot of reliability in the top ten to 15 WR’s that equals the output of the top backs, and you can find these players in the second, third, and fourth rounds- unlike the top backs. Faced with this REALITY CHECK, it’s my advice that you seriously entertain the idea of using two out of your first four picks in the draft on two of the top 15 receivers. A running back in the third to fifth round is eerily similar to a running back in the fifth to seventh round. That will not be the case with the wide receivers, the production level drops off dramatically in the same comparison. Double up on your wideout superstars and count on having a controversy-free lineup decision.

WR’s you’ll relish owning:
1) Randy Moss
2) Terrell Owens
3) Reggie Wayne
4) Braylon Edwards
5) Andre Johnson
6) Larry Fitzgerald
7) T.J. Houshmandzadeh
8 ) Steve Smith
9) Marques Colston
10) Plaxico Burress
11) Torry Holt
12) Chad Johnson
13) Brandon Marshall
14) Wes Welker
15) Anquan Boldin
16) Greg Jennings
17) Santonio Holmes
18 ) Roy Williams
19) Hines Ward
20) Marvin Harrison- sleeper??

WR’s with some upsides/ some downsides
21) Roddy White
22) Lee Evans
23) Dwayne Bowe
24) Santana Moss
25) Calvin Johnson
26) Laveranues Coles
27) Donald Driver
28 ) Joey Galloway
29) Kevin Curtis
30) Chris Chambers

After the top 30, we’re looking at a lot of clones you’re better off not starting outside of a bye week or injury.

Again, take two of the top 15 and 3 of the top 20 if at all possible (and it is!), then breath easy and expect great things!

Thanks for visiting and we’ll see you next week!

~ Stephen Lamare