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In a deal reminiscent of the haul that Mike Ditka gave away to land Ricky Williams, ironically to the Washington Redskins, this time it was the Skins that were the buyers in landing the #2 pick from St. Louis.
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The Redskins will most likely select Robert Griffin III, unless the Colts shock the world by taking RG3 and letting Andrew Luck slide to two. Either way, the Redskins have addressed their QB of the future.
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The Rams swapped the number two pick in the 2012 NFL Draft for the Redskins’ sixth overall pick, a second round pick, and two future first round picks.
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The Skins will solve their QB woes while the Rams have a lot of flexibility with the sixth pick. Perhaps they go offensive line with Iowa’s Riley Reiff or bolster their secondary with LSU’s Morris Claiborne. Perhaps the dream scenario would be Oklahoma State’s Justin Blackmon sliding to them, giving Sam Bradford a legitimate weapon.

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Ahmad Bradshaw had a modest start to the 2011 season running for 44 yards on 13 carries (3.4 ypc) and a score. He added one reception for ten yards.
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Bradshaw’s longest run of the day went for just seven yards, which is unfortunately a continuation of a trend from his last three games of last year where he failed to generate a double-digit yard rush. That should change this week.

The Giants take on St. Louis on Monday Night Football. In two MNF games last year Bradshaw had 229 yards on 35 carries (6.5 ypc) with a score. He added 24 yards on seven catches.
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He’s also playing at home where he averaged 112.5 total yards last year, as compared to 81.1 on the road. Five of his eight touchdowns came at home as well.
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Plus, with Hakeem Nicks hurting the Giants could be more inclined to use a more conservative offensive approach, relying on Bradshaw and Jacobs in the ground game.
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That would play into St. Louis’ Week 1 weakness. The Rams gave up a league worst 236 rushing yards in the opener. Obviously with Michael Vick that number is going to be bloated, but the running backs combined for 139 yards on 19 carries (7.3 ypc) and a touchdown.
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Bradshaw isn’t as effective as Shady McCoy, but he is a similar running back. With his speed, shiftiness, and receiving skills, Bradshaw is a good bet to put up big numbers on Monday Night Football.
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Also check out:

• Fantasy Football Week 2 Waiver Advice
• Week 2 Fantasy Football QB Rankings
• Week 2 Fantasy Football RB Rankings
• Week 2 Fantasy Football WR Rankings
• Week 2 Fantasy Football TE Rankings
• Week 2 Fantasy Football K Rankings
• Week 2 Fantasy Football DEF Rankings
• Week 2 Fantasy Football Sit/Start Advice
• Week 2 Fantasy Football Sleepers

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Frank Gore headlines the running back scene in the NFC West, but he has some pretty serious injury concerns. He has missed nine games over the past three years, and didn’t reach 250 carries in any of those seasons. While he is very active in the receiving game averaging 51 catches per season over the past five years, he only has 32 rushing touchdowns over that stretch. He brings the average just over eight total touchdowns a year over that stretch thanks to his receiving scores, but he is a low end RB1 in non-PPR leagues and a middle of the pack RB1 in PPR leagues. Anthony Dixon and Kendall Hunter will battle for handcuff duties, but neither present much fantasy value as long as Gore remains healthy.
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Steven Jackson is a true workhorse back for the Rams, averaging 327 carries and 48.5 receptions over the past two years. His 3.8 yards per carry as well as his low touchdown totals (six per year over the past four season) keeps him from the top tier of fantasy backs. The talk has been that the Rams will add a veteran running back to compliment S-Jax. He’s still a solid RB1, especially in PPR leagues.
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The Cardinals must have  seen enough from Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower as the team overlooked several needs and selected Virginia Tech’s Ryan Williams with the 38th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. It will be interesting to see how Beanie responds to the challenge. Beanie could be a nice value pick this year if he can stay healthy and finally prove his worth.
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Marshawn Lynch had some moments for the Seahawks, especially in their thrill upset of the Saint. Despite the feeling the he’s been in the league for a long time, he’s just 25. Justin Forsett will still get plenty of touches, especially in the passing game, but isn’t a threat to Lynch or a player with considerable fantasy value.
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Also check out:

• AFC East Running Back Situations
• AFC North Running Back Situations
• AFC South Running Back Situations
• AFC West Running Back Situations
• NFC East Running Back Situations
• NFC North Running Back Situations
• NFC South Running Back Situations

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You might as well call it the NFC Mess. Aside from St. Louis, this division is riddled with questions.
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Sam Bradford set the rookie completion record and truly delivered as the first overall pick. Bradford still has a ways to go before he can be considered a QB1, but he certainly has the makings of one. He only had six multiple touchdown games and just one 300-yard effort. Amazingly he did it without many weapons. The Rams added  tight end Lance Kendricks and receivers Austin Pettis and Gregory Salas in the NFL Draft.
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Matt Hasselbeck would probably be the second best quarterback in the league, if he returns to Seattle. That has become a major question mark. Charlie Whitehurst didn’t quite cut it. We’ll have to wait and see who wins the starting gig next year we can say if their quarterback has fantasy value next year.
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Alex Smith is expected to be back with the 49ers, but Colin Kaepernick is expected to be the future. Smith can be a decent spot starter if he wins the job, but he may not respond well to looking over his shoulder. Seems like a situation to avoid.
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Then you have Arizona, who is in dire need of an upgrade at the position. They are rumored to be the front runners in the Kevin Kolb sweepstakes. If he does land in the desert, he would instantly become the second best quarterback in the division. Other than St. Louis, this really is a wait-and-see division.
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Also check out:

• AFC East Quarterback Situations
• AFC North Quarterback Situations
• AFC South Quarterback Situations
• AFC West Quarterback Situations
• NFC East Quarterback Situations
• NFC North Quarterback Situations
• NFC South Quarterback Situations

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This week’s topic:
What non-top 35 wide receiver do you project to finish in the top 25?
Click here for the full article.

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My response:
I think that Danario Alexander, at 6’5″, 220 could be in for a very big year for the Rams in 2011. He has the size and explosiveness to make a big leap in his second season. Sam Bradford turned in one of the most prolific rookie seasons in NFL history and is not a strong candidate for a sophomore slump. With Josh McDaniels on board to guide the offense, the Rams could return to the days of “The Greatest Show on Turf”.
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There should be plenty of opportunities for Alexander to shine. Even if the Rams select a receiver early in the 2011 NFL Draft, he won’t likely be ready to make an immediate impact. The Rams will try to resign Mark Clayton, but he will be more of a possession receiver should they sign him. Alexander figures to be the deep threat. Danny Amendola will work out of the slot.
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Alexander showed some glimpses of what he is capable of last year. In Week 6 he caught four passes for 72 yards against the Chargers. In Week 12 he caught four passes for 95 yards against the Broncos. In Week 15 he caught six passes for 99 yards against the 49ers. He did this despite going unsigned until just before the season began. With an offseason of work with Bradford, the dividends could be bountiful. Obviously he will have to work on his consistency and be able to stay healthy, but I am optimistic. You may draft Alexander as a WR4 or WR5, but he could end up producing like a WR2 on good weeks and a WR3 overall.

Mark Clayton never quite made the splash everybody was expecting him to in Baltimore. Things did not look good when Baltimore acquired Anquan Boldin. Then the acquisition of T.J. Houshmandzadeh sealed his fate. Obviously going from a playoff team to a 1-15 team is not good for your chances of winning, but will the move be good for his fantasy value?

I’m in the camp that thinks it will. For starters he doesn’t have much competition in St. Louis. Laurent Robinson, Danny Amendola, Mardy Gilyard, and Brandon Gibson aren’t exactly the who’s who of NFL wideouts. My guess is Clayton will eventually force start opposite of Robinson and Amendola to the slot.

Clayton won’t have a lot of time to build a rapport with Sam Bradford, but it shouldn’t take long for the two former Sooners to get on the same page. You won’t want to use him the first couple of weeks as he gets used to the system, and potentially will be matched up with Nnamdi Asomugha in Week 2. After he gets by Washington in Week 3, it should be smooth sailing for a few weeks (Seattle, Detroit, San Diego, Tampa Bay).

Clayton represents a low risk, but he could end up paying dividends. If you have question marks at WR, it wouldn’t hurt to give Clayton a shot.

You can also check out my Week 1 Rankings:
Week 1 QB Rankings
Week 1 RB Rankings
Week 1 WR Rankings
Week 1 TE Rankings
Week 1 K Rankings
Week 1 DEF Rankings
Week 1 IDP Rankings


Image courtesy of Icon SMI

St. Louis Ram WR Donnie Avery was injured in tonight’s preseason game against the Patriots. More details to come, but this could be a serious blow to the young WR. If you drafted him, give it some time until you hear the extent of his injury before doing anything drastic. If you are drafting before word comes out, you probably want to pass on him. I would also pass on any Ram other than Steven Jackson.