Sep. 14, 2008

Four Downs: Marshall a Cut-ler above

By Jamey Eisenberg | Senior Fantasy Writer

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Marshall returned from his one-game suspension Sunday to nearly earn himself an NFL record. He had 18 catches for 166 yards and a touchdown against San Diego, falling two catches short of Terrell Owens' record of 20 receptions set in 2000 with San Francisco.

It's fitting that Marshall challenged one of Owens' marks since Marshall has been called "Baby T.O." because of his size, speed and playmaking ability. Well, Marshall could challenge Owens and Randy Moss as the best receiver in the NFL this year if he keeps up this pace.


Brandon Marshall and Jay Cutler could form a lethal combination for the rest of 2008. (AP)

As it stands now, Marshall would finish with 252 catches for 2,324 yards and 14 touchdowns this year if he plays every game like he did in Week 2. While that's not going to happen, Marshall is in line for an outstanding year in his third season.

If you took a chance on drafting Marshall this year, pat yourself on the back. And if you own Jay Cutler, thank Marshall as well.

Cutler opened the season with 300 yards passing and two touchdowns in Week 1 at Oakland, and that was without Marshall. On Sunday, Cutler had 350 yards passing, four touchdowns and an interception -- including a two-point conversion on a gutsy call from coach Mike Shanahan to win the game 39-38 -- and is ready to become the next great quarterback in the NFL.

Cutler has playmakers all over the field in Marshall, Eddie Royal, Tony Scheffler, Brandon Stokley and a solid running game. He also has history on his side.

Cutler is entering his third year with Shanahan, which is typically when Shanahan's quarterbacks fully grasp his system. John Elway won a Super Bowl in his third year with Shanahan in 1997, and Jake Plummer went to the AFC Championship Game in his third year with Shanahan in 2005.

Cutler might not have similar team success, but he appears to have a newfound comfort level with the offense. And playing with Marshall for the next 14 games should only make things that much better.

It's going to be a great year offensively in Denver -- and another big game should be in the works in Week 3 against New Orleans. So don't be surprised when Marshall finishes as the No. 1 wide receiver and Cutler finishes as the No. 1 quarterback in Fantasy leagues in 2008.

After watching what happened against the Chargers, they have my vote already.

McFadden, rookies running wild

Welcome to the NFL, Darren McFadden.

Justin Fargas went down with a groin injury at Kansas City, and McFadden took over. The rookie had 21 carries for 164 yards and a touchdown and also caught one pass for nine yards.

It's unknown how long Fargas will be out, but it could open the door for more opportunities for McFadden, who played like the top rookie we all expected and should be considered a starting Fantasy option in Week 3 at Buffalo. But McFadden wasn't alone as a rookie star in Week 2.

Jonathan Stewart had his first breakout game with 14 carries for 77 yards and two touchdowns against Chicago. Stewart outplayed DeAngelo Williams (11 carries for 31 yards), so hopefully this is a sign of things to come. Stewart has a tough matchup in Week 3 at Minnesota, but if he continues to play better than Williams he should get more carries.

Chris Johnson had another good week with 19 carries for 109 yards and two catches for 12 yards at Cincinnati. He again outplayed LenDale White (18 carries for 59 yards and a touchdown) and should be in line for a big game in Week 3 against Houston. In two games, Johnson has 248 total yards.

And Matt Forte played well with 23 carries for 92 yards and three catches for 21 yards. Forte has now reached must-start status as a No. 2 option even heading into Week 3 against Tampa Bay. Forte has 254 total yards in two games.

This is going to be a great year for rookie running backs, so hopefully you have at least one on your Fantasy team.

Cassel, Patriots struggle

Welcome to reality, Matt Cassel.

While Cassel may turn into a decent Fantasy option with Tom Brady (knee) out, he had a rough debut at the Jets. Granted, it was a tough division opponent on the road in his first start since high school, but you wanted to see more from him.

Cassel was 16-of-23 passing for 165 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions, and he struggled to connect with Randy Moss, who only had two catches for 22 yards. Wes Welker played well with seven catches for 72 yards, but this could be a bad sign for the Patriots passing game.

We'll find out how the Patriots should fare against weaker opponents when they face Miami in Week 3. The Dolphins allowed Kurt Warner to pass for 361 yards and three touchdowns Sunday, so Cassel could be in line for a good outing.

If you're worried about Cassel and looking for a quarterback, some passers drafted as backups played well this week. Along with Warner, Philip Rivers (377 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception), Aaron Rodgers (328 passing yards and three touchdowns), Jason Campbell (321 passing yards and one touchdown) and J.T. O'Sullivan (321 passing yards and one touchdown) all had big games and could be available in a trade.

As for the Patriots running game, it was a mess against the Jets. LaMont Jordan was the leading rusher with 11 carries for 62 yards, Sammy Morris scored the touchdown but had no rushing yards on eight carries and Laurence Maroney had eight carries for 16 yards. Kevin Faulk also returned with three carries for 16 yards and four catches for 50 yards.

For now, keep all these players reserved and hope someone emerges as a good Fantasy option against the Dolphins.

Bench the Bengals

Welcome to Fantasy purgatory, Cincinnati Bengals.

It's time to bench Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, at least for the foreseeable future. They look awful right now.

After a dismal performance in Week 1 at Baltimore, the Bengals looked equally as bad in Week 2 against Tennessee. Palmer had 134 passing yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions, Houshmandzadeh had three catches for 26 yards and Johnson had four catches for 37 yards.

The Bengals are going to struggle again in Week 3 at the Giants, so if you can avoid using them, that's the safe play at this point. It could be a long year in Cincinnati.

Some other observations from Week 2: Anthony Gonzalez had nine catches for 137 yards and could continue to shine if Dallas Clark (knee) remains out. Clark missed the game at Minnesota. ... If Fargas is out, pick up Michael Bush. Bush had 16 carries for 90 yards and a touchdown in tandem with McFadden. ... Julius Jones had 26 carries for 126 yards and a touchdown against the 49ers. It's his first 100-yard game since Dec. 10, 2006 and first touchdown in 10 games. Hopefully for Jones owners, Maurice Morris (knee) will stay out another couple of weeks. ... Calvin Johnson had six catches for 129 yards and two touchdowns and is ready to challenge Marshall for the top wide receiver title.

What are your four downs from this week? See anything that jumped off the screen? Let us know -- email us at dmfantasyfootball@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: Four Downs in the subject field. Include your full name, hometown and state.

McFadden back to work
Darren McFadden, RB, OAK
5/15/2012

News: Raiders running back Darren McFadden participated fully in a minicamp practice on Tuesday, proving that he's over the right Lisfranc foot sprain that cost him nine games in 2011. The Contra Costa Times reported that he participated in every drill and ran, caught and made cuts. He reportedly also did some work in a previous minicamp that wasn't open to the media. McFadden rushed for 614 yards and caught 19 passes for 154 yards with five total touchdowns in seven starts last season. "He's out here running around, and it looks like he's running full speed," head coach Dennis Allen said after Tuesday's OTA. "I've been pleased with the way he's looked. We want him to be healthy, we want him to stay healthy and we're going to do everything we can to try to keep him that way."

Analysis: The more we hear about McFadden practicing and doing well, the more likely Fantasy owners will gamble a Top 20 pick on him this summer. Potentially, McFadden could evolve into a 20-touch-per-week running back now that there isn't a dedicated or reliable backup behind him on the Raiders roster (Mike Goodson figures to be the guy). But he's also been injury prone over his career -- he's never played more than 13 games in a season. But when he has played, he's been awesome: He's averaged 88.5 rush yards and 33.0 receiving yards over his last 20 starts with 15 total touchdowns (and that's been with Bush playing alongside him!). Staying healthy is a major factor, and it's something Fantasy owners will have to consider with him regardless of where he winds up playing. It's OK to draft McFadden with that Top 20 pick (likely between 13th and 20th overall), but in doing so you must also commit to drafting his backup -- for now that's Goodson -- as a handcuff for if/when McFadden gets hurt.

Welker signs one-year tender
Wes Welker, WR, NE
5/15/2012

News: According to a league source, wide receiver Wes Welker has signed his franchise tender. That means he'll play out the 2012 season under a one-year deal guaranteed at $9.5 million. Welker wants a long-term contract extension and hopes his signing is a show of good faith leads to one.

Analysis: Welker played big in his contract year, catching 122 passes for a career-best 1,569 yards and career-high nine touchdowns in 2011. And now that he's signed, sealed and delivered, he will report to camp on-time and be a part of everything the Pats do between now and then. Welker will be 31 years old by the time the season starts, but so long as he remains in the Patriots’ offense he has to be considered a top-notch Fantasy option. Consider taking him by the third round in standard formats (Round 2 in PPR).

Murray cleared to practice
DeMarco Murray, RB, DAL
5/15/2012

News: The Dallas Morning News reports that Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray said Monday that the ankle injury that prematurely ended his standout rookie season has healed and he has been cleared by team doctors. “It's great,” Murray said during an interview on ESPN. “I've been officially cleared by our doctors, and I've been doing everything the past month or two without any limitations. I feel great.” Murray suffered a fractured right ankle and a high right ankle sprain in a Week 14 loss to the Giants. Murray had surgery in December, began rehab shortly after and started running in February. The third round pick finished the 2011 season with 897 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Analysis: We're excited Murray is ready to go, and we look forward to him picking up where last season ended. He will again share carries with Felix Jones, but Murray should be considered a solid No. 2 Fantasy running back worth drafting in Round 3 in all formats.

Mularkey: MJD wants new deal
Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, JAC
5/15/2012

News: The Florida Times-Union reports that Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey said Tuesday that the reason running back Maurice Jones-Drew is not with the team for OTA workouts is because he wants a new contract. "It's all voluntary," Mularkey said. "I wish he was here. He knows we wish he was here. ... He's talked about trying to get an extension for his contract."

Analysis: CBSSports.com Senior NFL Columnist Pete Prisco first reported that Jones-Drew wants a new contract extension, and now we know why he's not with the team. He has two years left on a contract he signed in 2009, but that deal makes him the eighth-highest paid running back in the league -- and he was the NFL's top rusher last season. We hope MJD will show up for training camp, and hopefully this situation is resolved soon. We consider Jones-Drew a No. 1 Fantasy running back, and he's worth drafting in Round 1 in all leagues as long as there isn't a holdout.

Martin has hamstring strain
Doug Martin, RB, TB
5/15/2012

News: The Tampa Bay Times reports that Bucs general manager said Tuesday that rookie running back Doug Martin has a slight hamstring strain. He did not practice with the team during OTA workouts.

Analysis: Martin was drafted to compete with running back LeGarrette Blount, and Martin has the chance to start right away. But he needs to be 100 percent healthy, and hopefully he will be ready for the start of training camp. Keep an eye on what happens with Martin, and he should be considered a low-end No. 2/high-end No. 3 Fantasy option if his hamstring is OK. He will lose reps, possibly at the goal line, to Blount, but Martin has the potential to be a three-down rusher as long as he's healthy.

Broncos, Manning willing to make adjustments
Peyton Manning, QB, DEN
5/15/2012

News: Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy spent some time talking about some adjustment the team will make to cater to new quarterback Peyton Manning, as well as some adjustments Manning will make to cater to the Broncos' coaching staff. "This is going to be a work in progress for everybody," McCoy said. " ... There are plenty of things that we've done in the past here that we want to give Peyton the opportunity to see. He is very flexible. He wants some new ideas and to run some new things. We've spent some time in the last couple of weeks explaining the things as an offensive staff we really like and things we can help him with. And that is our job. It's going to come down to the next couple of months, by the time we come out of training camp to say, 'OK, what do our players do best? What are the things that Peyton likes best as the quarterback?' Because it all starts with the quarterback in our system. There are a lot of things that he hasn't done that he is excited to look at -- getting some two-back situations and things he hasn't done a whole lot of, and we have had a lot of success with that here in the last couple of years so we are going to continue to build that. There are going to be some things that we're going to try whether he has done then or we have done them here or other coaches have run them somewhere else and we'll pick and choose what we're going to do."

Analysis: Chances are the Broncos will cater more to Manning and what he's capable of doing rather than trying to fit Manning into what they want to do. For instance, John Fox is known as being a run-heavy coach but he might ease on his stance with Manning under center. This is a smart team that will definitely lean on Manning. The bigger issue remains Manning's health following months of rehab from multiple neck surgeries. We should all wait until Manning goes through his paces in training camp and the preseason before getting really excited about him. If he looks as good as we remember, he'll be in the discussion as the seventh quarterback taken in drafts, right behind brother Eli, in Round 3 or 4. If he's not quite as smooth but clearly on track to play, he'll be more of a fifth-round pick with the likes of Matt Ryan and Ben Roethlisberger. And if he's not playing at all but still expected to be ready for the season, Fantasy owners might start gambling with him starting in Round 6 or 7. It's a very good idea to pay attention to Manning's progress this offseason.

Bengals might have a starter in Sanu
Mohamed Sanu, WR, CIN
5/15/2012

News: It didn't take long for Bengals rookie receiver Mohamed Sanu to establish himself with the team. Following their recent rookie minicamp, Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said Sanu did very well. "I thought Sanu was everything we expected him to be," Lewis said according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. "He's going to be able to come in here and play right away as a rookie. He's going to push to start and for playing time."

Analysis: Sanu doesn't have a ton of competition for the job opposite A.J. Green and could be a factor this season for the Bengals' passing attack. He's a productive receiver who had 115 catches for 1,206 yards (10.5 avg.) and seven touchdowns last season with Rutgers. Now that he's in the starting mix, Sanu will be worth a late choice in seasonal drafts (especially PPR formats). He's also worth a mid-to-late pick in dynasty/keeper leagues and a second-round pick in rookie-only drafts.

Cutler concerned about O-line
Jay Cutler, QB, CHI
5/15/2012

News: Bears quarterback Jay Cutler says his thumb is healed following offseason surgery after breaking it during the 2011 season. And he certainly gives a thumbs-up to the Bears adding Brandon Marshall via trade and Alshon Jeffery in the draft. But he told the Chicago Sun-Times that his offensive line is still a concern of his. "If Gabe [Carimi] comes back, if J'Marcus [Webb] pans out. Where are we going to put Chris Williams? There are some question marks there," Cutler candidly said. "Until we really get that resolved, and get our front five settled in, we've got some work to do on offense. ... There are going to be times it's 3rd and 8, 3rd and 10, and we're going to have to take seven step drops and we're going to have the longer route and they're going to have to protect."

Analysis: Cutler and the Bears know what they have to do: Move the pocket. Several coaches and Cutler himself have talked about using bootleg rollouts on passing plays, something he did in Denver. That keeps defenses on their toes and keeps plays alive. Anything is better than Cutler having to take seven-step drops all the time in Mike Martz's offense, which happened last season. Now he should be able to scamper around and slice up defenses with his arm and his legs. Getting a pair of solid receiving threats will only help him. Without a stud receiver in Chicago, Cutler has averaged 225.8 yards and 1.5 touchdowns per game. Expect that average to go up with the addition of Marshall and Jeffery. Cutler is now worth discussing as a sleeper quarterback worth taking after about a dozen passers go off the board. We'll probably see him taken in Round 8 or 9 in a lot of drafts this summer.

Criner shines in OTAs
Juron Criner, WR, OAK
5/15/2012

News: Raiders rookie wide receiver Juron Criner put on a receiving show during Tuesday's OTA. On one play, he made an acrobatic grab between two defenders of a 50-yard pass from Carson Palmer. On another, he blew past a defensive back for a long catch from Palmer. It appeared that Palmer and Criner already had their rhythm down pat. "I think every day he gets a little bit better," coach Dennis Allen said. "I was pleased with the way he practiced today. It's not a whole lot different than what we saw on tape in college. That's what we expect from him."

Analysis: This is nice to hear but we'd like to see Criner do this against first-string competition before we start touting him as a sleeper. Funny thing is that Criner slipped in the NFL Draft partially because of his speed. The guy otherwise is a gem -- he's 6-foot-3 and 224 pounds and caught 75 passes for Arizona last season for 956 yards and 11 touchdowns. If he can keep this up through the summer then we're talking about a serious sleeper.

Blackmon back at practice
Justin Blackmon, WR, JAC
5/15/2012

News: The Jaguars official team website reports that rookie receiver Justin Blackmon returned to practice Tuesday after dealing with a sore foot. Blackmon said his sore foot was caused by wearing new cleats at the rookie minicamp.

Analysis: It appears like Blackmon is fine and should be 100 percent ready for training camp. We consider Blackmon a No. 3 Fantasy receiver at best, and he will have to prove himself while dealing with a young quarterback in Blaine Gabbert. He's worth a middle- to late-round pick in seasonal drafts, a middle-round pick in dynasty/keeper leagues and a Top-5 pick in rookie-only formats.

More Updates

1	Aaron Rodgers, GB, QB
2	Drew Brees, NO, QB
3	Tom Brady, NE, QB
4	Cam Newton, CAR, QB
5	Matthew Stafford, DET, QB
6	Philip Rivers, SD, QB
7	Eli Manning, NYG, QB
8	Tony Romo, DAL, QB
9	Michael Vick, PHI, QB
10	Peyton Manning, DEN, QB
All Rankings

1	Arian Foster, HOU, RB
2	LeSean McCoy, PHI, RB
3	Ray Rice, BAL, RB
4	Maurice Jones-Drew, JAC, RB
5	Matt Forte, CHI, RB
6	Marshawn Lynch, SEA, RB
7	Ryan Mathews, SD, RB
8	Chris Johnson, TEN, RB
9	Adrian Peterson, MIN, RB
10	Steven Jackson, STL, RB
All Rankings

1	Calvin Johnson, DET, WR
2	Wes Welker, NE, WR
3	Roddy White, ATL, WR
4	Larry Fitzgerald, ARI, WR
5	Hakeem Nicks, NYG, WR
6	Greg Jennings, GB, WR
7	Victor Cruz, NYG, WR
8	A.J. Green, CIN, WR
9	Mike Wallace, PIT, WR
10	Miles Austin, DAL, WR
All Rankings

1	Rob Gronkowski, NE, TE
2	Jimmy Graham, NO, TE
3	Aaron Hernandez, NE, TE
4	Antonio Gates, SD, TE
5	Jason Witten, DAL, TE
6	Tony Gonzalez, ATL, TE
7	Vernon Davis, SF, TE
8	Jermichael Finley, GB, TE
9	Brent Celek, PHI, TE
10	Fred Davis, WAS, TE
All Rankings

1	Stephen Gostkowski, NE, K
2	Mason Crosby, GB, K
3	Sebastian Janikowski, OAK, K
4	David Akers, SF, K
5	Garrett Hartley, NO, K
6	Dan Bailey, DAL, K
7	Jason Hanson, DET, K
8	Neil Rackers, WAS, K
9	Alex Henery, PHI, K
10	Nate Kaeding, SD, K
All Rankings

1	49ers, DST
2	Texans, DST
3	Ravens, DST
4	Giants, DST
5	Steelers, DST
6	Seahawks, DST
7	Eagles, DST
8	Packers, DST
9	Jets, DST
10	Patriots, DST
All Rankings