Fantasy Value of Place Kickers

Hello everyone and as we get closer to camps opening up we will get the kickers out of the way leaving the wide out and running backs to for last and during camps.

Yes, I will try to pretund that there is a way to predict who is a stud and who isnt. I want to say this, yes there are kickers that are better than others, but lets be real here, they are all good or they wouldnt be kicking in the NFL, they would be kicking in the CFL where they get a point for missing (Vanderjagt has signed with the Toronto Argonaugts). I will try to bring out some changes of locations and other personelle which might make a difference.

Here is the Kickers who are wearing new jerseys and what I expect their fantasy productivity will be given their new team. My favorite out of this bunch is Josh Brown. Josh has been a good kicker in Seatlle for years where the wind and rain can play games with you on a good day. Now let's move him to the Rams where he will be kicking in the St. Louis Edwards Jones Dome where there is never a wind or weather issue. Who I think will have a bad year is Olindo Mare who didn't cut it in hot weather in Miami and the Superdome in New Orleans. Now place him in Seattle. What the h#^& were they thinking? Trust me here, he will not finish the year there. The other noteable change is Jason Elam moving to Atlanta. Will the Falcons produce enough opportunity for him to kick field goals? Given the division I believe he will see some, but not enough to keep the elite status he had in Denver's thin air.

Sleepers who will be moving up thanks to teams improving are listed as follows. I will bang my homer drum here and throw out Janikowski. He is may favorite out of this bunch and here is why. Kiffin loves his leg, letting him kick for outside of 60 without hesitation. Does he hit them, his accuracy is a little off, but last year he attempted a NFL record breaking 64 yarder and didn't miss short, he hit the upright halfway up and had the distance from 74 . The team has improved somewhat and might leave them from 40 out a lot, leaving him kicking a lot. Other sleepers thanks to teams improving is Nedney with the 49ers, Bironas with the Titans, Longwell with the Vikings, Suisham with the Redskins and Dawson with the Browns who I believe will not score 7 as often as they did last year.

The Bust list includes Mare and Gould who I can't see getting many PAT's or even field goals for the matter.

New studs from last year include Crosby with the Packers who will see more FG attempts and less PAT's and Folk who will see a lot of PAT's with the Cowboys.

Others that need mentioning is Kaeding with the Chargers who had a bad year last year, but is a great kicker and Graham in Cincy who will bounce back.

As far as i can see is that if i didn't mention anyone else than the status is the same as last year.

Next week is the Defense and Special teams.

The True Guru Releases The 2008 RB Cheat Sheets

Here is The True Guru's 2008 RB Cheat Sheets

The True Guru Releases His 2008 QB Cheat Sheets

Here is The True Guru's 2008 QB Cheat Sheet

Fantasy Value of the TIGHT END

Hello Everyone. Today we will take a look at the overall position statis of the TIGHT END.

The studs of the position stands the same with not many changes. You have Gates, Witten, Winslow, Dallas Clark, Gonzalez and maybe Heap if he recovers from an injury plagued year. If he does, he is a steal has he has fallen in all the mock drafts i have played.

Studs of the past who could make a rise to form are lead by Crumpler who has changed his colors from black to the baby blue of the Titans. He should be the perfect outlet for Young and i look for a solid fantasy year from Alge this year. Now Shockey is not helping fantasy owners pick him as no-one knows how this will play out, but Boss is a steal in the last round as he would be the guy in NY if Shockey isn't there come September. L.J. Smith is another who suffered fantasy statis thanks to injuries, but is still McNabbs best receiver when healthy.

Ben Utecht who is out of the shadow of Dallas Clark and into the shade of TJ and Chad in Cincinnati and giving Palmer another target. Another who has changed location is Anthony Fasano, hoping to make a name for himself in Miami and no longer playing second fiddle to Witten.

Ben Watson catches touchdowns, but not much of anything else so in the point per reception leagues he is near the bottom. The duo of Desmond Clark and Greg Olsen should struggle thanks to the poor Qb situation, but are both valuable if their was an offense to speak of in Chicago. In the same division you will find three up and comers in Campbell in Detroit, Shiancoe in Minnesotta and Donald Lee in Green Bay. Another starter who saw some of his touchdowns go to his back up was Heath Miller. Heath has been solid outlet for Big Ben starting from his rookie season.

Now for the disappointments. Could there be anyone bigger than Vernon Davis. With the Qb situation in San Fran i don't see it changing much this year. Eric Johnson should be doing better with Drew Brees as his Qb and Randy McMichael will hope for a full year from the whole offensive roster in St. Louis in order to live up to what everyone was expecting of him last year.

If i was a Raider Hater, and not a fan, i would still have to give some attention the Zach Miller in Oakland. When Russell was at the controls last year these two had something starting. Miller got better with every game he played and should get 6-8 touchdowns. Another to keep your eye is is Leonard Pope in Arizona.

Next Week - Place Kickers.

The Rise & Fall of Players Fantasy Value - Quarterbacks

Today we will discuss the Quarterbacks in the AFC. Again, if I don't mention someone then we will think that his value is the same as it was last year.

Teams who are making a big change in Quarterback I like to stay away from till late in the draft. Exceptions to the rule are major trades or a free agent signing such as Drew Brees to New Orleans. So, in the AFC here is a quick list of teams with new Qb's who are not worth getting excited about. You have the Ravens, Bills, Cheifs, Dolphins and the Jets. Really, if the strongest Qb battling for a job out of those 5 teams is Chad Pennington or Josh McCown then I won't waste your time talking about them.

Rising in value are the two top Qb's from last years draft and you can get them in the late teens rounds. Quinn and Russell could be sleepers this year. Let me tell you why I say Brady Quinn. Now I am going to ruffle some feathers here and even though I am thinking of keeping Derek Anderson in my keeper league for a 7th round pick I predict that Quinn will see time and finish the year. Anderson had a very soft schedule last year with 9 of their 10 wins coming against teams that didn't even come close to the playoffs. Out of the 16 game schedule they only had 4 games against teams who did make the playoffs and were 1-3 in those games with their only win being against Seattle whose division contains Arizona, St. Louis and San Fran who were all terrible last year making me question if Seattle would have made the playoffs in any other division? If you look at their schedule they could very easily be 1-3 when they hit their bye week. Will they begin to look at Quinn during that time off? If not yet then maybe after they play their next 3 games which are against the Giants at home and then hit the road to play the Redskins and Jacksonville. It is very possible that they start off 1-6 before their schedule weakens for them. The reason I have spent so much time here is because you could get Quinn in the 12th round or even later and have him starting for you by week 9 against the weakest part of their schedule. As for Russell in Oakland. Try him in the last round to see what happens. Being a Raider fan I have big hopes for him, but with the 6th best running team last year getting better with McFadden and Michael Bush I am not sure how many reps the receivers will see.

Another Quarterback to look at is Rivers in San Deigo. With an improving receiver crew to go with LT Rivers will look even better than year. Matt Schaub is another who will have better numbers than last year provided he stays healthy. The studs here are the usual suspects, Brady, Manning and Palmer while Big Ben and Garrard looked great last year.

With Cutler's recent illness their are questions if he will maintain his health throughout a hard 17 week schedule. Meanwhile, I hope everyone has finally listened to me and whoever else who has been saying DON'T DO IT when thinking about taking Vince Young. True he is fantastic and I would love him on the Raiders, but never once have I picked Young or Vick on my fantasy team. These "I wanna run first and throw secon" qb's don't make for a good fantasy quarterback.

Coming next week, a look at Tight Ends.

The Rise & Fall of Players Fantasy Value - Quarterbacks

Today we will start a series I am going to call "The Rise & Fall of Players Fantasy Value". I Will review all 32 teams and give you a list of the players whose stock is rising or falling in the fantasy world. Those not mentioned are status quo.

Today we will start in the NFC where you have the Falcons with Matt Ryan. Will he have impact this year? Doubtful. Look for Matt Leinart to attempt to deserve the job he has won, but I think Kurt Warner will once again see action. Will Rodgers get the job done in Green Bay? I hate to say that the Packers could now have the Marino curse meaning that they will look for years to find a replacement for Favre. The Vikings have Jackson who should see better numbers with Berrian as his new wide out, but lets be real Berrian will be used as a smoke screen in order to give Peterson more running room. As for Eli, who knows which quarterback we will see here, but he could have more confidence now and be a little better protective of the ball. The situation in San Fran will continue to be a mess this year so don't swim on that side of the bay if you are looking for a QB.

If there are any sleepers here I would give the green light to Tavarius Jackson in Minnesota who couldn't get much worse, and if he plays smart, could be a good #2 or 3 QB in deep leagues.

If you are looking for QB help in the NFC you will be looking at a short list. You will have McNabb who always has great numbers for 10 games a year, but is that enough. Then you have Tony Romo who will easily be number 2 in that conference for numbers only behind Drew Brees who will rebound from an average year to have the Saints back on top of their division. Other then those studs you have the usual middle guys with Hasselbeck, Bulgar for his 10 games and Jason Campbell in Washington. Oh wait. I forgot Jon Kitna. How could I forget that the Lions QB has promised to win 10 games again this year. Please, how does he plan to do that with such a hard schedule this year when last year they played the weak AFC West and still couldn't get to the 10 wins he promised.

Last and for good reason is the ugliness of the Chicago Bears. Please, if you know of anyone who plans to pick any Bear player in fantasy this year please let us at Fantasy Search know what leagues this guy is planning to play in the future as we want to join them for the easy championship. One could say, "But wait, what about their Tight Ends". True, Olsen and Clark are good and will get okay numbers, but the fact their are 2 of them will hurt each others value. Plus who is going to throw the ball to them. Neither should be considered before the 12th round.
Coming soon. AFC QB's

The True GURU Participates in Mock Draft Central's Expert Mock Draft

Here are the results from the mock draft that I participated in on June 2, 2008. I had the #2 overall pick.

draft results courtesy of MockDraftCentral.com
Live! Mock Draft Central Expert Draft No. 2 (6/2/2008)

Draft Orcer Round
Steven Wray
Todd Farino
Chris Jackson
Bob Harris
Derek Jones
Roger Rotter
Cal Spears
Michael Nease
John Tuvey
Rick Hawes
Lori Rubinson
Lenny Pappano

Round R1 »
LaDainian Tomlinson
Adrian Peterson
Steven Jackson
Brian Westbrook
Marshawn Lynch
Joseph Addai
Randy Moss
Marion Barber
Clinton Portis
Willis McGahee
Larry Johnson
Frank Gore
» R1
R2 «
Maurice Jones-Drew
Tony Romo
Andre Johnson
T.J Houshmandzadeh
Larry Fitzgerald
Braylon Edwards
Brandon Jacobs
Michael Turner
Ryan Grant
Terrell Owens
Tom Brady
Reggie Wayne
« R2
R3 »
Reggie Bush
Earnest Graham
Jamal Lewis
Marques Colston
Peyton Manning
Ronnie Brown
Steve Smith
Wes Welker
Drew Brees
Laurence Maroney
Chad Johnson
Anquan Boldin
» R3
R4 «
Derek Anderson
Antonio Gates
Kellen Winslow
Brandon Marshall
Willie Parker
Jason Witten
Carson Palmer
Ben Roethlisberger
Santonio Holmes
Torry Holt
Plaxico Burress
Roy Williams
« R4
R5 »
Marvin Harrison
Darren McFadden
Matt Hasselbeck
Jonathan Stewart
Greg Jennings
Felix Jones
Selvin Young
Laveranues Coles
Roddy White
Tony Gonzalez
Thomas Jones
Julius Jones
» R5
R6 «
Jerricho Cotchery
Donald Driver
Lee Evans
Todd Heap
Dwayne Bowe
Hines Ward
Dallas Clark
Kevin Smith
Edgerrin James
Calvin Johnson
Rudi Johnson
LenDale White
« R6
R7 »
Chris Cooley
Fred Taylor
Chris Chambers
Donovan McNabb
DeAngelo Williams
Bernard Berrian
Rashard Mendenhall
San Diego Chargers
Kevin Curtis
Matt Forte
Derrick Mason
Anthony Gonzalez
» R7
R8 «
Vincent Jackson
New England Patriots
Jerious Norwood
Bobby Engram
Deuce McAllister
Jay Cutler
Javon Walker
Joey Galloway
Chris Johnson
Chester Taylor
Jeremy Shockey
Jerry Porter
« R8
R9 »
Ahman Green
Justin Fargas
D.J. Hackett
Warrick Dunn
Patrick Crayton
Philip Rivers
Cedric Benson
Ahmad Bradshaw
Santana Moss
Eli Manning
Donte Stallworth
Vernon Davis
» R9
R10 «
Jake Delhomme
Ronald Curry
Jamaal Charles
Isaac Bruce
Reggie Brown
Ricky Williams
Marc Bulger
Owen Daniels
Nate Burleson
Bryant Johnson
Kolby Smith
Kenny Watson
« R10
R11 »
Minnesota Vikings
Devin Hester
Limas Sweed
Sidney Rice
Ben Watson
Deion Branch
Kevin Jones
David Garrard
Matt Schaub
Chicago Bears
Heath Miller
Aaron Rodgers
» R11
R12 «
Ryan Torain
Shaun Alexander
Matt Leinart
Jason Campbell
Baltimore Ravens
Dominic Rhodes
New York Giants
Reggie Williams
Ladell Betts
Vince Young
Devin Thomas
Jon Kitna
« R12
R13 »
Stephen Gostkowski
Ted Ginn Jr.
Nick Folk
Sammy Morris
Jeff Garcia
Chris Brown
Alge Crumpler
Darrell Jackson
L.J Smith
Lorenzo Booker
Dallas Cowboys
Donald Lee
» R13
R14 «
Arnaz Battle
JaMarcus Russell
Ray Rice
Adam Vinatieri
Josh Brown
Green Bay Packers
Brandon Stokley
Derrick Ward
Josh Scobee
Robert Meachem
Nate Kaeding
Pittsburgh Steelers
« R14
R15 »
Mark Clayton
Robbie Gould
Buffalo Bills
Jacksonville Jaguars
Travis Henry
Rob Bironas
Shayne Graham
Mason Crosby
Seattle Seahawks
Phil Dawson
Tarvaris Jackson
Neil Rackers
» R15