CB DeAngelo Hall’s short career as an Oakland Raider is over.

After managing to survive only eight regular season games in the Bay Area, Hall was released from the organization Wednesday morning. Yet as shocking as this cost-cutting move seems to the media, it does not appear to be as stunning to either the Raiders or Hall.

The former pro-bowl cornerback is one of many who have played way under Oakland’s expectations, especially when considering the team basically backing dump trucks full of cash onto the front lawns of numerous free agents. Hall’s deal in the offseason was a seven-year; $70 million contract to become a Raider, joining a team that was 4-12 only a season ago. Read more »

Seven Weeks down; ten to go. And the NFL class of 2008 is making its presence felt on Sundays (and Mondays for that matter). Big Week 7 performances from Chris Johnson and Matt Forte showed the fantasy world that these first year guys mean business.

John Carlson caught one for a score for the second straight game and Darren McFadden is still vying to touch the ball in Oakland. The Rams offense woke up in Week 7’s upset over Dallasm which could translate into good numbers for Donnie Avery, while the Jets demise to the Raiders in OT may mean it’s time to give up on Dustin Keller for the rest of ‘08. Read more »

The NFL’s class of 2008 has made its presence felt through the first quarter of the season. Week 5 proved to be no different as many rookies found their way into the endzones and impacted fantasy games everywhere during a time when depth was huge due to bye weeks and injuries.

For the third straight week, Houston’s Steve Slaton looked great. It certainly doesn’t seem like he’s only started three games as a pro. And in Dallas, Felix Jones taught the Cowboys a valuable lesson by following up his zero-touch effort in Week 4 with an impressive showing of 96 yards on nine carries including a 33-yard touchdown scamper. Read more »

Welcome to the first edition of our weekly rookie rankings, where Oakland’s Darren McFadden and Chicago’s Matt Forte lead a group of 20 fantasy stars and would-be producers.

Just as the NFL Draft in April told us when no wide receivers were taken in the first round, this year’s group of fantasy wideouts is pretty thin. Only two receivers - Denver’s Eddie Royal and Philadelphia’s DeSean Jackson - are worthy of starter status, but both have gone well beyond expectations. Read more »

With all but two games (MNF and the Ravens at Texans match-up moved to November 9 because of Hurricane Ike) said and done in Week 2, it’s time once again to award those who put forth influential fantasy performances. And, when seven teams post 30+ points, a lot of guys are going to be deserving of recognition.
 
We’ll start in Denver where seven passing touchdowns and more than 940 yards of combined offense tell the tale of two division rivals who found themselves in the middle of a good old fashioned shootout. Also, be sure to take note of Week 2’s dream lineup. If you had any piece of this team, there’s a good chance you embarrassed the rest of your league. Read more »

Fantasy football is truly a humbling pastime. Just when you think you’ve mastered your draft and are set up to dominate your league, Bernard Pollard lands on Tom Brady’s leg and your chances are shot. And just after you go unbeaten during the regular season, fantasy playoffs come and a team that limped in with a .500 record knocks you off. You never know what will happen, but you can always make good, educated guesses.

It’s important to consider the context in which things occur and notice the bigger trends behind a player’s week-by-week performance.

Start with the Brady situation, where Matt Cassel started in his place and led the Patriots to a 19-10 win over their division rival New York Jets. How did the team’s passing game change? Who benefited? Did they run more? Keep your eyes on these big picture developments, and fewer things will come as surprises. Read more »

Any good fantasy owner looks at and analyzes his team on a week-by-week basis. What happens the week before can, and most often will, dramatically affect what happens the following week. So, on the eve of Week 2, don’t forget what happened last Sunday, and then apply that information to your lineups.

Injuries to Tom Brady and Marques Colston certainly will have an impact on their respective teams. Also, as we take a look ahead to Week 2, while we expect big things from Julius Jones and Jerricho Cotchery, we can’t say the same about Donovan McNabb.
Read more »

One of the more exciting parts of preseason fantasy football, rookie evaluations can either make a quick impact on teams or fall flat on their faces as wasted draft picks. More often than not, the latter proves true, but if we learned one thing from Adrian Peterson’s 2007 romp, it’s that we should certainly believe that big results are possible.

Some overreaction is all but guaranteed in the post-A.P. Era, and most of it will center around Oakland physical specimen Darren McFadden. Owners everywhere are still sore about the fact that they passed on Peterson at nearly the same draft position (mid-3rd round) and will be damned if they make the same mistake. Problem is, odds are slim and none that McFadden’s arrival has half the impact of Peterson’s. Read more »

The basic list form of our preseason top 200 rankings. We also feature the same list, equipped with notes for each and every player and completely free of charge, on FantasySports101.net. Once the regular season begins, we’ll narrow the list down to the top 101 players and do the same thing every week.

Some highlights on the list:

Rookie Darren McFadden’s debut at No. 36, largely because of the lesson we learned from Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson last season. That kind of talent needs to, and usually does, find a home before the fifth round of standard drafts.

Jason Witten overtakes Antonio Gates, who has question marks about his own health and the health of quarterback Philip Rivers’ knee, as the first tight end off the board.

Two less heralded rookie running backs, Chicago’s Matt Forte and Denver’s Ryan Torain, can be found in the middle rounds with a realistic expectation that both will win starting jobs. Read more »

In all fantasy sports, making a note to draft hotshots rookie early can pay huge dividends. Adrian Peterson proved that to all of us last season, despite the fact that many experts predicted that he would only score modestly while splitting time with Chester Taylor.

With the exception of quarterbacks, first-rounders on the offensive side have usually proven to be good investments if they land in a system that fits them, especially since their stock usually starts very low on draft boards. Read more »