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Vick resurrected his career last season, proving he can carry a fantasy lineup.
It was a very uncomfortable summer for football fans across America as the NFL seemed to be hanging in limbo, everyone watching ESPN updates on the confusing and intricate details of what still had to be worked out in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Cooler heads prevailed and we learned there would indeed be football on Sunday (collective exhale of relief). The approach of late summer means one thing and one thing only: fantasy football, and the preparation leading up to your draft. Without further a due, a comprehensive evaluation of all fantasy positions, beginning with the year’s top 5 projected signal-callers. Let’s get right into things.
1. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
In three years at the helm for Green Bay, Rodgers has come in second, first, and second again in terms of fantasy production at the QB spot. He has an offensive line that is coming off a Super Bowl Championship and only improved this off-season. Promising Tight End Jermichael Finley will be back healthy this year, bolstering a receiving corps that includes Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Jordy Nelson, and new addition Randall Cobb. Rodgers is as close to a sure thing as you can get.
2. Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles
What can you say about a player that averaged 29.7 fantasy points a game? One of the greatest waiver pick-ups someone in your league ever made last season, Vick will be back this year to continue his amazing come-back story from the pits of hell. As an obvious rushing and passing threat, Vick completed a career-high 62.6% of his passes last year while accumulating 676 yards and 9 touchdowns on the ground. As entertaining as they come, Vick is not to be overlooked in this year’s draft, by any means.
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3. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
Throwing for 4600 yards last season but also tossing a career high 22 picks, Drew Brees is a player you can feel safe about in your QB slot. He will undoubtedly lower the number of INTs he throws this year and is very durable- not to mention he is dropping back behind a stellar O-Line. With a number of tools to work with in his offense (including new additions Darren Sproles and Mark Ingram), don’t be suprised to see Brees finish in the top 3 QB statistically this year.
4. Tom Brady, New England Patriots
It was tough not to put Brady into that #3 slot after the addition of perennial downfield threat Chad Ochocinco, bolstering a group of receivers that already includes Wes Welker, Deion Branch, and Julian Edelman, Brady has proved time and time again that he can put up big numbers no matter who he’s throwing to. One of the key factors to consider in drafting #12 is his two new weapons at the tight end spots in Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski, who both had breakout seasons last year as rookies.
5. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis ColtsĀ
Peyton has never missed a start in 12 years behind center and he has also never finished a season without throwing at least 28 TDs. Yes, he had neck surgery and has missed some time in the rushed training camps, but the last time he had neck surgery he threw for 4,700 yards and 33 touchdowns. Being in a keeper league myself this year, I know what future Hall Of Famer I’m not letting go of. Let’s hope his receivers can manage to stay healthy.
August 8, 2011
‘Watch The Throne’ Released Without Leak
Those Watching the Throne will have a hard time looking away.
If there was anyone that could keep this mega-project from being released to the public before the scheduled release date, it was this duo of Jay-Z and Kanye West. With Watch The Throne being distributed digitally first and then physical copies hitting Best Buy shelves August 12th, there seems to be a plan in place to make the most cash possible. The news that these CDs would only be released at Best Buys nationwide caused uproar amongst independently owned record shops- indie stores and privately owned places that have been struggling to stay afloat in a time and age when no one pays for music anymore. But this phenomenon has taken its toll on the entire industry, and that includes the musicians themselves. It seems the only ones making out in all of this are us as the listeners.
John Meneilly, Jigga’s manager, has come out to say this Best Buy only deal was to avoid a leak. I guess the probability of a privately owned record shop employee swiping a copy of the heralded product is higher than a Best Buy employee doing the same- seems bogus. In all reality, a deal may have been worked out between Roc-A-Fella and Best Buy to exclusively push this album. If you look at it from Jay and Kanye’s point of view, they won’t be paid anyways with millions of kids downloading their beats for free, so they might as well take the commercial cash from a big-time distributor and turn some sort of profit. Otherwise, this masterpiece would have been out a week or two ago and the hype would have already died. But let’s not let all the politics surrounding this bad boy bring it down- this quality rap indeed.