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The price is going to be right for McNabb. His ADP according to Mock Draft Central is 103, which puts him as the seventh pick in the ninth round of 12-team fantasy drafts. He is the 14th QB coming off the board. I actually have him as the 11th QB (click to see my ranking), which would make him a starter, but he clearly has some risk associated with him.

He made the obvious switch from the Eagles to the Redskins. While Mike Shanahan’s concurrent arrival helps, there is still something to be said about switching teams after eleven years with an organization. Even if the transition is flawless, there are other factors that could jeopardize your fantasy team.

McNabb will turn 34 this year. While that isn’t nearly as old as the QB the Vikings are waiting on, it’s still an age where you feel the bumps and bruises a little more. If we were talking about an Iron Man like Favre or Peyton Manning, I wouldn’t stress it as much, but this is a guy who has missed multiple games in five of the past eight seasons. Washington tied for 4th in the league with 46 sacks allowed last year. They addressed their line adding rookie LT Trent Williams, but it is still cause for concern.

As are his lack of playmakers. His top wideout Santana Moss is a major downgrade from the Eagles’ DeSean Jackson. Devin Thomas (40 career receptions), Malcom Kelly (28 career receptions), and Terrence Austin (rookie) have to prove they can excel at this level. Tight Ends Chris Cooley and Fred Davis both have ability, but how often will they both be running routes at the same time. Clinton Portis, Larry Johnson, and Willie Parker aren’t making anybody envision Brian Westbrook.  McNabb has dealt with inferior talent before, but he at least had Westbrook to lean on.

McNabb also isn’t the runner he once was. He hasn’t topped 250 rushing yards in a season since 2003. He has only had 4+ rushing TDs twice in his career, the last one being in 2002. McNabb only has two years of 3600+ passing yards and has thrown 26+ TDs just once, back in 2004 when he had Terrell Owens.

So do you trust him as your starting fantasy football QB? Personally I do not. I would rather address the position early and get someone that I rank in the top 8 or so. If you do take McNabb, I urge you to add a high-end backup QB. One that you could envision becoming your full-time starter. Just in case.

What do you think of Donovan McNabb?

The Redskins made a big splash by adding Donovan McNabb in the offseason. After a couple years of actually having some weapons in the passing game, McNabb takes a major step back with Washington’s offering. He always seems to find a way to make it work, so expect the Skins’ offense to improve.

Fantasy Playoffs Schedule:  Moderate
They open up the fantasy playoffs against Tampa Bay at home in Week 14. They then go on the road to face Dallas and Jacksonville.

Five Star Fantasy Options
None

Four Star Fantasy Options
Donovan McNabb – Normally I would give him a five star rating, but he does have an injury history, and he has the aforementioned drop-off in talent at WR. Perhaps his best options are TEs Chris Cooley and Fred Davis.

Three Star Fantasy Options
Clinton Portis – The Redskins brought in competition in the form of Larry Johnson and Willie Parker. McNabb’s presence should open things up for the ground game. If he can stay healthy, Portis brings the most to the table.

Santana Moss – Moss isn’t the player he once was, but he hasn’t had a QB the caliber of McNabb, perhaps ever. He is notoriously inconsistent, but he should have some big games still left in him. Brian Orakpo should pile up the sacks.

Chris Cooley – The Skins have a good problem having two talented TEs. Mike Shanahan is gifted enough to figure out a way to get both Cooley and Davis involved in the passing game.

Redskins Defense/Special Teams – The Redskins will need Albert Haynesworth to make nice with the team to remain a decent fantasy defense. Highlights include the Rams (Week 3), Lions (Week 8), and the Bucs (Week 14).

Two Star Fantasy Options
Larry Johnson – If Portis were to go down or finally hits the wall from the extensive use in his career, LJ would be the one to step in and carry the load. I think he still has some football left in him. It’s just a matter of how many  opportunities he’ll get.

Devin Thomas – He hasn’t lived up to his expectations yet, but McNabb should help. He is not afraid to rely on young receivers. Thomas has good size (6’2″, 215) and speed. He just has to put it all together.

Fred Davis – Davis stepped in when Cooley went down and ran with his opportunity. He had 41 catches for 464 yards and 6 TDs in the Skins last ten games. The Skins can’t ignore that kind of production, especially with a sub par receiving corps.

One Star Fantasy Options
Willie Parker – If he can stay healthy, he should be able to produce in spots for the Skins. That won’t help your fantasy team go. Unless he can earn the #2 RB gig, he’s not a viable fantasy option.

Malcom Kelly – Kelly is a 6’4″ receiver that has failed to score a TD in 21 games. That should change with McNabb, but don’t expect him to transform into a stud.

Click here for additional 2010 NFL Team Previews.

The black cloud over our Washington D.C. continues to hover. No, I’m not going political on you. I’m talking about the sinking ship that is the Washington Redskins.

They received another blow today when they learned that Chris Cooley would miss the season with a broken foot suffered in last night’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Redskins are a lost cause, but your fantasy team is not.

Here are some reasonable available Tight Ends that you can hopefully grab to fill Cooley’s void:

Benjamin Watson, New England Patriots – He’s hit or miss, but he does have 4 TDs and is the 11th ranked fantasy Tight End in non-PPR leagues. Watson has had one monster game, three solid games, and three duds. He’s on bye so he won’t help you this week.
41% Yahoo! owned, 25.6% ESPN

Zach Miller, Oakland Raiders - More of a focal point than Watson, but is also inconsistent, mainly because of poor QB play. Miller has had three good games and four bad games and is the 13th ranked fantasy TE. I’d take him over Watson in a heartbeat.
55% Yahoo!, 60.1% ESPN

Todd Heap, Baltimore Ravens - Heap is the 15th highest scoring TE and fortunately he has already had his bye. He has just one big game, but no duds.  He’s probably the safest option available.
51% Yahoo!, 39% ESPN

Tony Scheffler, Denver Broncos - Scheffler is the 18th ranked fantasy TE, and also has had his bye. He’s had one big game, two decent games, and three stinkers. He’s been more involved in recent weeks though, which makes him a decent option
24% Yahoo!, 18.7% ESPN

Marcedes Lewis, Jacksonville Jaguars - Lewis is the 20th ranked fantasy TE. He’s had two big games and four duds. He’s had his bye already, which helps, but isn’t the best choice here.
17% Yahoo!, 7.2% ESPN

Dustin Keller, New York Jets - Keller is the 21st ranked fantasy TE , but has had five duds in a row after starting off strong. He hasn’t had his bye yet either.
51% Yahoo!, 61.9% ESPN

Sean Ryan, Kansas City Chiefs - Ryan is the 23rd ranked fantasy TE so we’re starting to reach. He’s had two good games, five duds, and is on bye.
5% Yahoo!, 1.1% ESPN

Fred Davis, Washington Redskins - You can always replace Cooley with his replacement.  Davis did score a TD last night and was heavily involved in the passing game with 8 catches for 78 yards.  He has the ability.  Now he finally gets the opportunity.

#1  Antonio Gates

#3  Jason Witten
T.O.’s departure could actually hurt Witten a bit.  No, not emotionally, but T.O. did draw the opposing Defenses’ attention.  With T.O. gone Defenses will be able to key in on Witten more. He’s still going to produce, but I think his numbers will look more like last year than 2007.

#6  Owen Daniels
Owen finished as the sixth highest scoring Tight End despite having just two TDs.  He hasn’t exactly shown the ability to reach paydirt consistently yet, but I could see him improve in that area in 2009.  If he can score five or six TDs and maintain the 800 yard average he has the past two years, he could possibly crack the top five.

#8  Zach Miller
Zach nearly doubled his yardage last year going from 444 as a rookie to 778 in his second year.  He only scored one TD last year, which was down from three in his rookie season.  As he and JaMarcus Russell continue to build their rapport, I see that TD number going up next year.  800 yards and 4 or 5 TDs isn’t out of the question.

#9 Greg Olsen
Greg was one of the Bears’ top targets in the passing game.  He should be utilized even more next year as he continues to develop into one of the game’s best pass-catching Tight Ends.  I see him leading the Bears in receptions next year.  He should rack up at least 700 yards and four scores.

#10 Dustin Keller
With Kellen Clemens likely taking over the starting Quarterback job, Dustin Keller is going to be a big security blanket.  He caught 48 passes for 535 yards and 3 TDs as a rookie.  He had 388 yards in the second half last year.  He should build upon that success in his second year.

Washington was a tale of two halves last year starting 6-2 and finishing 2-6.  Not the most promising recipe for an 8-8 season.  The good news is they have some nice pieces in place. Jason Campbell is in a contract year, which is usually a nice motivator. Clinton Portis had an amazing season, but he wore down near the end.  They simply went to the well too often with CP.  After 342 carries, I expect Portis to be somewhat of a disappointment next year.  Ladell Betts has to get more touches.  He’ll be 30 next year so now is the time to start grooming another back.  Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El were solid.  Ideally Randle El would be the third WR and either Devin Thomas or Malcolm Kelly would earn a starting gig, altough neither did much to impress in their rookie seasons.  A player that did impress was Chris Cooley.  He led the Skins with 83 receptions.  He could stand to reach paydirt more frequently, but fantasy owners had to like what he brought to the table.  The O-Line is aging rapidly, but there likely isn’t room to add help via free agency.  The Skins will just have to address the need via the draft.  That’s probably the best way to do it anyway, assuming you’re patient.
 
On Defense the Skins will need Jason Taylor to restructure his contract.  If he’s unwilling, he’s gonzo.  Demetric Evans is one of the key Free Agents on Defense, and he’ll likely be re-signed.  The same goes with Kedric Golston, Reed Doughty and Anthony Montgomery.  I actually don’t see Washington as a big player this offseason for a change.  They’re going to have to address needs on D via the draft as well.

The Redskins head into the year with a new Coach (Jim Zorn) and a new Offense so their may be some growing pains initially. Jason Taylor has been added to the mix as well as a bevy of new weapons on Offense for Jason Campbell.

Their ground attack should be solid again.  They have a nice offensive line anchored by Chris Samuels and Jon Jansen.  Clinton Portis is one of the steadier Running Backs in the league and  Ladell Betts is one of the better backup RBs.  In the air Jason Campbell has a pair of speedy veterans in Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El.  The Skins also drafted highly touted Rookie Widouts Devin Thomas (6’2″ out of Michigan State) and Malcolm Kelly (6’4″ out of Oklahoma).  Talk about lighting a fire underneath your starters.  They Skins did the same at Tight End adding USC Rookie Fred Davis to position they were already strong at with Chris Coooley.  If my math doesn’t fail me that’s six solid options at WR and TE.  That’s the way to offset the transition to a new offense.

Defensively they are going to miss Sean Taylor this year.  His tragic death shocked his teammates and gave them something to rally around.  Now that they are more removed from it and the emotions aren’t as raw, they will miss his production.  LaRon Landry is a star in the making, but Taylor will still be missed.  Jason Taylor will be asked to provide and emotional spark as well as heavy pressure on the QB.  Taylor and Andre Carter should be a formidable duo up front.  The Linebacking corps is headed up by London Fletcher, who led the team with 128 tackles last year.  I don’t feel like they are in the better half of the defenses in the league.

The Skins have a pretty tough schedule hosting New Orleans and Arizona and going to NYG, Dallas and Philly in their first five games.  Throw in the Browns, the Steelers, the Seahawks, and home games against their NFC East mates, and you get a picture of the tough road ahead of them.  I’m afraid that the Skins will hold down the cellar position in their division.  They’ll probably win 6 or 7 games.

Fantasy-wise I really like Clinton Portis and Chris Cooley.  Portis is a guy who gets a bunch of carries, including red zone touches, and receptions.  Cooley has been quite productive the past few years and has a knack for producing TDs.  Some like Santana Moss to have a solid year.  I am not one of those people.  He’s far too inconsistent for my taste.  I don’t recommend the Rookies until they either prove they can contribute on a regular basis or win a starting job.  Jason Campbell is an adequate backup QB, who could be used in your starter’s bye week or given the right matchup.  The same goes for Washington’s Defense.