• Mike Sims-Walker had 46 receiving yards at San Francisco and that continues a trend of him struggling on the road.  In five road games, MSW is averaging only 37 yards per game and has scored just one touchdown.  At home, in the same number of games, he is averaging 111 yards per game and has scored five games.

• With 307 passing yards, David Garrard now has three 300-yard games this season.  That’s more 300-yard passing games than he had in the previous seven years during which he only had two such games.

• What makes Chris Johnson’s quest for 2,000 rushing yards so unique is the fact that he’s a big factor in Tennessee’s passing game as well.  For the five players that reached 2,000 rushing yards in a single season, they averaged 22 receptions for 187 receiving yards in the years they reached 2K.  Johnson is still 604 rushing yards away from 2,000, but he has already surpassed the receiving averages of those five other running backs.  Through 11 games, CJ has 33 receptions for 294 yards and combined with his rushing total of 1,396 yards, he is on pace to break Marshall Faulk’s record of 2,429 yards from scrimmage set back in 1999.

• Since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, there have been 20 quarterbacks who have thrown at least 25 interceptions in a single season or an average of about one QB every two years.  This year there are 4 QBs who are on pace to throw for at least 25 INTs (Cutler, Delhomme, Stafford, Sanchez).  But that doesn’t mean these guys are destined to have terrible careers as of the 20 QBs who have thrown 25 INTs, four of them are in the Hall of Fame (Bradshaw, Namath, Moon, Tarkenton) and two more will be there soon (Favre, P. Manning).

• With three more receptions vs. the Bills, Davone Bess now has 49 receptions on the year-and 0 touchdowns.  Bess is currently on pace for 71 receptions and with a slight increase over the coming weeks he could break Raymond Berry’s record for most receptions without scoring a TD.  In 1961 the Hall of Fame receiver caught 75 balls but none of them ended in the endzone.

• In three games when Tom Brady and Drew Brees went head-to-head, Brees has dominated in the win column (he’s 3-0) and on the stat sheet.  In those three games Brees has thrown 8 TDs and 0 INTs while Brady has thrown only 3 TDs along with 3 INTs.

• Kenny Britt’s 128 receiving yards vs. Arizona were the most ever by a receiver in a game in which Vince Young played quarterback.  It is only the fifth time that a Titans receiver has reached 100 yards in Young’s 40 career games.

• Charles Woodson became the sixth player this season (Little, Schobel, Peppers, Willis, Witherspoon) to record a sack, an interception, and a defensive touchdown in the same game.  But Woodson is the only player to have a sack, a defensive touchdown, and 2 INTs in one game this year.

• With 2.5 sacks vs. Buffalo, Joey Porter leapfrogged Trevor Pryce, Ken Harvey, and Bryant Young to get into 32nd all time in sacks with 90.0.  Meanwhile, teammate Jason Taylor’s half-sack gave him 126.5 for his career which ties him with Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas for 11th all time.

• LaDainian Tomlinson scored two more touchdowns to give him 894 points scored for his career.  That total is good enough for 56th all time.  While 56th place may not seem all that impressive, it is when you consider the fact that 53 of the 55 players ahead of him are kickers.  Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith are the only skill-position players who have scored more points than LT.

We’re four weeks into the season, and 28 of the NFL’s 32 teams have played their first four games. There was a lot to glean from these games, and an important aspect of fantasy football is recognizing trends and adjusting to them. This series of posts hopes to shed some light on all 32 teams through statistical analysis.

1) This offense doesn’t score a lot of points. The Jets may be 3-1, but they’re winning primarily with defense. Consider week four against the Saints: Drew Brees and Co. scored 10 points of offense, but two Mark Sanchez turnovers kept the Jets out of contention. Overall the Jets have averaged under 20 points per game and rank 21st in scoring.

2) You don’t need to love Mark Sanchez if you’re a fantasy football player. Sanchez has thrown four touchdowns and five interceptions this season and is completing under 60 percent of his passes. Even though he threw four touchdowns to just two interceptions through the first three games, his yardage in those games was far from impressive. In fact, he’s passed for more than 171 yards once this season — week one against the Texans.

(The graph below displays Sanchez’s passing yards on a game-by-game basis this season.)

3) You don’t have to love Thomas Jones, either. Jones has three rushing touchdowns this season, which is fantastic, but his touches scare me a little bit. He’s carried more than 14 times just once, and he hasn’t broken 60 rushing yards since week one. Coincidentally, that’s when he rushed for more than 100 yards and scored two of his touchdowns. Unless the Jets start using him more often, his fantasy season looks bleak.

4) But you do have to love Jericho Cotchery. Cotchery has 356 receiving yards this season. More importantly, he’s been consistent — really consistent. The Jets leading wide receiver hasn’t finished a game with under 71 receiving yards this season, nor has he been on the receiving end of fewer than four passes in a game. Though Sanchez hasn’t been perfect (and isn’t a great fantasy prospect this season) Cotchery’s his guy, and that’s been a good thing so far.

5) Jones and Cotchery are currently the only two legitimate fantasy contributors on this roster. And Jones isn’t much to write home about. Read number two on this list again if you think Sanchez is your boy. And if you’re still not sold on Cotchery, check out the graph below displaying Sanchez’s passing attempts distribution to spot a trend. (Hint: he likes throwing to one player more than the others.) Also note that Cotchery is on the only player in the top three who has a completion percentage (receptions/targets) above 60 percent. His is a tad below 68 percent.

Here’s a few more thoughts on some of the saturday preseason games. 

CAROLINA PANTHERS

The Carolina offense wasn’t very smooth, there are still lots of kinks to work out in the passing game.  A couple 3 and outs don’t inspire confidence. The run game looks pretty good, with plenty of openings for the RBs.  Jake Delhomme looked ok…about the same as last year.  Didn’t throw many deep passes, lots of screens or short under passes.  DeAngelo Williams did not play. Third RB Mike Goodson looked pretty good. o-line is opening good holes for him….that’s good news for DeAngelo Williams during the season.  Steve Smith looked like he’s back to full speed again. Mushin Muhammad looked fine, but did not get many touches.  Panthers defense looks good not great. Not good against screens. 

BALTIMORE RAVENS

The Baltimore offense looked smooth, confident, and consistent. They moved the ball down the field without much problem, grinding down the clock and defense. Joe Flacco is looking solid, accurate, calm, and confident. Accurate short throws that sustain drives and a few long throws that looked good.  LeRon McClain looked ok…seems like he will get the goal line carries.  Ray Rice looks good, lots of screen receptions. Derrick Mason looks good.  Todd Heap looks good with a nice TD reception.  Baltimore Defense looks solid as usual. Lots of pressure on the QB and covers receivers well.  

NEW YORK GIANTS

The Giants offense looks cool, calm, and collected.  A good balance of run and pass keeps the defense on their toes. Eli Manning looks good with accurate throws, short and long to a wide array of receivers.  Brandon Jacobs looks good, strong, solid running…O-line is opening good holes for him… and now he’s got receiving skills and caught a TD.  He did get nicked up with a helmet to the forearm. Ahmad Bradshaw looked good, had a long run through a good hole.  There clearly isn’t a top receiver on the Giants squad and nobody seems to be a favorite of Manning. This is an obvious area of weakness. Kevin Boss looked ok.  Steve Smith has plenty of speed, but not sure if he has the necessary hands, since he dropped a sure TD pass.  Defense looks ok. 

NEW YORK JETS

The Jets offense looks hot and cold and will be leaning strongly on the running game this season, to limit exposing Sanchez.  Mark Sanchez is looking like a rookie, confused, staring down receivers, and out of sync.  The Jets are going to have to use short passes/screens to limit turnovers.  Thomas Jones looks good, with good holes from the great o-line,  but is likely to face more defenders in the box. Leon Washington looked ok.  Jones and Washington look to split will goal line carries/TDs, both may benefit from extra short yardage TD attempts.  Chancey Stuckey looked good and scored a TD on a busted coverage.  Defense looks good enough to slow down teams, but not an imposing force.  

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

The Pittsburgh offense looked pretty good, with a few issues and some inconsistencies.  Ben Roethlisberger looked good, calm, cool, collected, with good accuracy. The o-line is doing a decent job of pass protection, but has lapses where Roethlisberger gets pressure with a hurry or sack.  Rashard Mendenhall looked good, running with some power, but can’t seem to shake tackles well. Looks like he’ll get goal line carries too. o-line is opening up good holes for him.  Mewelde Moore looked good, a couple good check down receptions for first downs.  Willie Parker did not play.  Hines Ward looked good as usual with several good catches. Limas Sweed looked very good, had a couple good catches.  Roethlisberger seems to like him. Heath Miller looked ok.  Steelers defense is pretty solid. Getting a good pass rush and clamping down on the run. 

BUFFALO BILLS

The Buffalo offense is in shambles. The Pittsburgh defense caused the offense problems on every front. Buffalo just looked out matched. Trent Edwards looked flustered with off target throws and pressure from the Pittsburgh defense. Threw interception deep in Buffalo territory. o-line is having huge issues stopping the Steelers defense lineman.  Marshawn Lynch looked good and healthy, but didn’t get much work, since the offense was not on the field much.  Buffalo Defense looked ok, but allows enough yards for opponent to sustain long drives and eat up the clock.�

Quarterbacks (Teams: Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, and New York Jets)

All signs are pointing to Kyle Orton being the Denver Broncos week one starter at quarterback. Said Josh McDaniels a little over a week ago, “There are a lot of things that go into playing quarterback. Certainly [Orton] made a lot of mistakes tonight. But I haven’t lost faith in him and neither have our players.” Aside from that “I’ve got his back” quote, the latest on Chris Simms isn’t good. Phil’s son has a high ankle sprain and will reportedly be out 2-4 weeks, long enough to miss the entire preseason. Even if McDaniels was considering Simms as a plan B, the job appears to be Orton’s by default at this point.

Speaking of McDaniels and the Broncos, Denver’s head coach had this to say about facing the Chicago Cutlers Bears: “This game is another step in our process of getting ready for the regular season. If you try to make too much of the game or the opponent in the preseason, I think you are kind of missing the point. The point is it is an opportunity for us to go out there and improve, and that is what we are going to treat it as.”

Meanwhile, Jay Cutler had this to say about the Denver Broncos, Josh McDaniels, and Kyle Orton, per Arnie Stapleton of the Washington Post: “Cutler says in the brief time he spent with McDaniels he could tell the Bill Belichick disciple was an offensive mastermind. Cutler adds that the Broncos are in good hands with McDaniels and quarterback Kyle Orton.” Those words are somewhat kinder than his description of Broncos fans earlier this year: “In Denver we didn’t have many fans at all … Chicago’s like a six and Denver’s like a nine.”

But if you want to hear about a team other than Chicago or Denver, here’s a big bit of news from New York: Mark Sanchez is officially the week one starter. “I feel that the best move for our franchise and our team is to go with Mark as our quarterback,” said Rex Ryan. Ryan went on to say that he thinks “Mark gives us the best opportunity to win.” Sanchez is 6-of-12 for 131 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception in two preseason games.

Running Backs (Teams: Buffalo Bills and Oakland Raiders)

Buffalo Bills head coach Dick Jauron delivered some good news today concerning Fred Jackson, who we feared yesterday could have a more serious injury: “It was a wrist. It was pretty sore but we’re really happy with the outcome. It’s a sprained wrist. It was just too sore to practice today. I don’t know about tomorrow so we’ll see. But it was good news actually.” It’s certainly good news for fantasy players and Bills fans since Jackson won’t miss week one of the regular season, a game he is expected to start.

Gregg Rosenthal delivered this tip for fantasy players: get Darren McFadden. Per Rosenthal, McFadden is poised to be a “beast” for fantasy owners this year and is described as “a rich man’s Reggie Bush.” Take note, fantasy players.

Wide Receivers (Teams: Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos)

Second year wide receiver Devin Thomas of the Washington Redskins is watching his potential role as a starter crumble. According to a report from Jason Reid of the Washington Post, Thomas may be leapfrogged by second-round draft pick Malcolm Kelly for the starting spot and – this one is just speculation — seventh rounder Marco Mitchell. Both players have proven themselves to be playmakers in the Redskins offense while Thomas has disappointed. As last year’s first round draft pick he still holds some sway, especially over Mitchell, but he needs to pick up his game if he doesn’t want to be supplanted on the roster. Stay tuned to this story.

Brandon Marshall, who’d like to be wearing a different jersey at this point, was fully involved in Tuesday’s practice with the Denver Broncos. Whether he plays this weekend against Chicago is still unclear. Said Josh McDaniels, “We’ll find out as we go through the week. When the players are ready to play, they’ll play.” The bigger question at this point is whether Marshall will open the season number one on the depth chart. Eddie Royal has wowed the coaches and drawn a lot of comparisons to New England’s Wes Welker. Don’t be surprised if Royal passes the disgruntled receiver on the depth chart before the regular season debut.

Week 1 of the NFL’s preseason has come, and while every football fan probably watched their team with at least some level of interest, fantasy owners in particular were likely examining what information they could glean out of the contests. To aid in that pursuit, let’s take a look at the games played so far (there are two Monday night games – Jacksonville at Miami and Carolina at NY Giants) and the fantasy consequences of each.

New England 27, Philadelphia 25: One Mr. Bundchen, Tom Brady, was back to his old tricks, going 10-of-15 for 100 yards, one touchdown pass and one interception while staying healthy, which was just fine. It was interesting that Patriots tight end Chris Baker was on the receiving end of both of Brady’s scoring passes. As for Philly, rookie running back LeSean McCoy’s 10 carries for 55 yards made all those that will handcuff him to Brian Westbrook feel good.

Baltimore 23, Washington 0: At least Baltimore’s defense was in mid-season form. Washington did very little, and had just 48 offensive plays all night. In contrast, the Ravens had 54 passing plays, 15 of which came from Joe Flacco, who did a solid job by completing nine of them. On the running back front, Ray Rice (whose fantasy points from last year you can see on the right) carried the ball five times for 22 yards and Willis McGahee toted the rock four times for 26 yards, but Rice’s three catches for 38 yards trumped McGahee’s one catch for seven yards, and is a further indication why Rice is the favorite to be the starting running back.

Pittsburgh 20, Arizona 10: It was ho-hum for Arizona, but worth noting was that Matt Leinart was a bit better than Brian St. Pierre in the battle for that team’s backup job. For the Steelers, Rashard Mendenhall didn’t do himself any favors by running for only 2.7 yards per carry on nine attempts, but wideouts Shaun McDonald and Limas Sweed were productive. Sweed has big-time potential, but he was useless last season, and needs to step up this year. Still, he’s someone fantasy owners may want to keep in the back of their minds.

Oakland 31, Dallas 10: Dallas wideout Sam Hurd made the most noise by far in the team’s wide receiver battle, as he caught five passes for 79 yards, while no other wideout caught more than one pass. Darren McFadden used a 45-yard rumble to amass 63 yards on just four carries, showing the type of explosiveness that makes fantasy owners believe he can have a breakout campaign.

St. Louis 23, NY Jets 20: Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez played just one series, but that was enough for him to complete three of his four throws for 88 yards and be named the starter in the team’s next preseason game. For the Rams, the early battle for the team’s No. 2 running back job is being led by Samkon Gado, who ran for 93 yards, including one 77-yard touchdown gallop.

Minnesota 13, Indianapolis 3: Sage Rosenfels looked pretty good by completing 10 of his 13 passes for the Vikings, while the man he is battling for the starting QB job, Tarvaris Jackson, completed only seven of his 15 throws. Rookie runner Donald Brown started off nicely for the Colts, running the ball five times for and excellent 58 yards, including a 38-yard tote.

New Orleans 17, Cincinnati 7: Cedric Benson did what Cedric Benson always does - ran for under 4.0 yard per carry. His 28 yards on eight carries (3.5 ypc) does little to inspire those that have been burned by the former first-round bust in the past. Speaking of busts - okay, possible busts - Reggie Bush continues to show he makes an outstanding slot receiver for a running back, carrying three times and gaining 15 feet.

San Francisco 17, Denver 16: Disaster, thy name is Kyle Orton. Fantasy owners will need to see more than three interceptions in 16 passes from the new Broncos signal-caller before embracing him on their roster. So too will Denver fans. For the Niners, tight end Vernon Davis proved he could get downfield a bit, with two receptions for 41 yards.

Detroit 27, Atlanta 26: Not much happened to speak of for the Falcons, besides losing to Detroit after being up by nine with under 3:00 to play. Preseason or not, that’s a poor way to start. A much better way to start is by doing what Michael Turner did, running for 63 yards and a score on six carries. Matthew Stafford was a bit up and down for the Lions, connecting on half of his 14 passes, throwing for a score but also tossing a pick.

Buffalo 27, Chicago 20: Not the greatest of beginnings for Jay Cutler. While he wasn’t as terrible as the man he switched teams with, he completed just five of his 10 passes and threw an awful interception, chucking the ball in the air after feeling some pressure. Buffalo quarterback Trent Edwards was very good, however, despite not having Terrell Owens. He completed each of the 10 throws he made.

Green Bay 17, Cleveland 0: Some sizzling quarterback race in Cleveland. Brady Quinn did complete seven of his 11 passes, but for only 68 yards, and he also tossed an interception. Derek Anderson, meanwhile, threw twice and completed one - to the wrong team. All the Green Bay running backs did a nice job, and it was good to see Brandon Jackson - a must-handcuff to Ryan Grant - deliver 41 yards on eight carries.

Tennessee 27, Tampa Bay 20: Little seemed to have been done to uncoil the quarterback situation in Tampa, as Byron Leftwich, Josh Freeman and Luke McCown were each okay. For the Titans, rookie wideout Kenny Britt started off with a bang, with five catches for 89 yards and a touchdown. He’s definitely someone to look out for in the rookie wide receiver class.

Houston 16, Kansas City 10: Someone needs to be the backup and possible handcuff to Steve Slaton, and both Ryan Moats and Chris Brown got off to solid starts. Moats ran the ball 10 times for 52 yards, while Brown carried it six times for 25 yards and a score. On the Chiefs side, not much could be taken away from the start Matt Cassel had, as he completed just two of his five throws.

Seattle 20, San Diego 14: Neither T.J. Duckett nor Julius Jones ran for 4.0 yards per carry in what could be a sign of things to come this season in the Seattle running game. Then again, neither did LaDainian Tomlinson or Darren Sproles in this contest that told very little about either team’s stars.

The decision to start a rookie quarterback is always tricky for the head coach. On the one hand, he feels suffocating pressure from the fans and franchise owner who expect their new toy to get playing time right off the bat. To the fans, he’s the answer to years of losing or falling short of the Super Bowl. To the owner, it’s more business than excitement: he’s the guy who cost upwards of $40 million, and every game, or worse, year, he isn’t a starter is viewed as money lost.

Gone are the days when a head coach could sign his rookie quarterback and groom him behind a quality starter. Gone are the days when a rookie had to earn every bit of respect from the fans. Today it’s “what have you done for me lately?” Expectations for both the coach and player are at an all time high, especially after last season’s history-defiant head coaches and rookie quarterbacks.

Mike Smith and Matt Ryan successfully made Atlanta Falcons fans forget about the debacle that landed their last quarterback in prison only two seasons before by making the postseason and shocking fans and media across the country.

Meanwhile, the Baltimore Ravens soared to the AFC Championship game with rookie quarterback Joe Flacco under center and John Harbaugh calling the shots from the sideline. It was a great story, reinvigorating interest in the Baltimore Ravens franchise.

Talk about raising the bar.

Unfortunately for some persons, their success has repercussions for this season. Three more rookie quarterbacks and rookie head coaches have been signed by three teams to lead their respective franchises to winning ways. Losing leads to desperation which leads to making decisions too soon. Sometimes it works and you have a Matt Ryan or Joe Flacco, but other times it’s too much too soon and you wind up with a quarterback like Tim Couch or Ryan Leaf.

Take a look at these three teams and rookie quarterbacks and decide for yourself: when should they start this season, if at all?

Detroit Lions – Rookie: Matthew Stafford – Veteran: Daunte Culpepper

Stafford was the most hyped player in the draft, a physically gifted quarterback with leadership skills. But it wasn’t unanimous praise for Stafford; he had plenty of detractors who said he wasn’t ready for the NFL because he lacked well developed decision making skills and throwing accuracy.

Regardless, the team cannot possibly play worse than it did last season when it finished with 16 regular season losses. The Lions made strides to improve during the offseason, and if the offensive line is improved as it should be, the offense won’t struggle as much as most 0-16 teams do. Stafford has the added benefit of a young running back with loads of potential, Kevin Smith, and one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, Calvin Johnson. Expect Stafford to start at some point this season, perhaps by week one if preseason goes well, and he has the weapons around him to finish with decent numbers.

New York Jets – Rookie: Mark Sanchez – Veteran: Kellen Clemens

Mark Sanchez gained considerable ground on Matt Stafford in the weeks leading up to draft, thanks to outstanding workouts that showcased his pinpoint throwing accuracy. When the Jets traded up to draft Sanchez, fans went wild.

The Jets have a history of drafting disappointments, so here’s to hoping Sanchez won’t be the next notch on that belt. According to reports, he hasn’t practiced better than Clemens this offseason. It’s early, of course, but don’t expect Sanchez to be the week one starter. If Clemens struggles during the regular season, Sanchez might be able to leapfrog him.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Rookie: Josh Freeman – Veteran: Luke McCown/Byron Leftwich

Josh Freeman is the least likely week one starter of the three rookie quarterbacks in this article and the rawest talent of the bunch. Buccaneers GM Mark Dominik has said “the ultimate goal” is to let him “sit back and learn.” It’s probably the wisest decision, especially considering the combined experience of Luke McCown and Byron Leftwich, and there presence makes it very unlikely Freeman will start at any point during the first part of the season. However, if the season is lost during the second half, he could see a lot of snaps.

Rookie quarterbacks are accustomed to high expectations, but last season the bar was raised a little higher. AP Rookie of the Year Matt Ryan and Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Year Joe Flacco (yup, they each got an award) have shown that it’s possible for a rookie quarterback to succeed in getting wins and, from a fantasy perspective, posting QB2 numbers.

Enter Mark Sanchez.

A few months prior to the draft he was little more than an afterthought on the minds of most. Matthew Stafford was The Guy. He was the franchise quarterback. As the draft drew near, however, the mindset shifted as Sanchez stringed together some impressive workouts, showcasing his USC-quality passing accuracy and wowing scouts.

And then it happened: Sanchez was drafted by the New York Jets. The New York Freakin’ Jets. Welcome to the NFL, Mark Sanchez - you’ve just been given a gift from the football gods.

Yes, he’s going to be playing in one of the league’s toughest divisions, headlined by the New England Patriots and complemented by last season’s winner, Miami, and the up-and-coming Buffalo Bills. But he’s also going to be playing for a team starving for a postseason berth, a team with a new head coach, Rex Ryan, who’s giving fans plenty of hope.

Fans saw last season what happened when new head coaches and rookie quarterbacks found franchises in needs: both Baltimore and Atlanta finished 11-5 and found themselves in the postseason, Baltimore going as far as the AFC Championship game.

Now it’s Sanchez’s turn. He’s taking over for the legendary Brett Favre, who had the Jets on the right track before stumbling (or perhaps rolling down an escalator going up) in the final weeks of the season. Still, Favre showed that this offense has potential if the right quarterback shows up.

Right now Sanchez is struggling in the Jets OTA’s, as more than a few New York newspapers are willing to point out, but he’s also showing improvement, as head coach Rex Ryan is ready to contend.

“We’re throwing him right to the wolves and I like the way he’s responding,” says Ryan.

And for his part, Sanchez is more than willing to be part of a baptism by fire.

“As a rookie this is the way you want it,” Sanchez said. “You want to be thrown into the fire right away. You want it to be tough.”

I doubt anyone could expect anything more from the rookie quarterback. The important thing is how hard he’s working, Sanchez going so far as to joke he’s “made friends with the cleanup crew” by staying so late, adding he wants to master the playbook and offense “15 minutes ago.”

From a fantasy football perspective, his struggles at this stage are anything but alarming. No one expects him to step on the field week one to pass for 300 yards and 3 touchdowns; all anyone can look to get out of him year one is a solid rookie display: think somewhere between Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco, assuming Jets running back Thomas Jones plays as well as he did last season. If Sanchez can close the season with 2,800 passing yards and 15 touchdowns, I’d call it a great success. A little less and it won’t be a disappointment, though obviously there is a line in the sand (typically throwing more interceptions than touchdowns is considered crossing the “disappointment” barrier). Those numbers qualify him as a low-end QB2, and one certainly worth drafting a bit higher in dynasty leagues, which hold over players from the season before.

Sanchez is developing and learning. That’s all anyone can ask. More impressive from my perspective is his eagerness to develop and learn within this offense; that’s what can separate him and push him from “good” to “great” in a hurry.

As we continue our series which looks at the fantasy value of each NFL division’s quarterbacks, we tackle the AFC East, also known as the Home of Brady. But there are some other interesting options as well, so let’s examine the situations.

Buffalo Bills: Lackadaisical is a good word to describe the Buffalo passing offense last season, which came in at 22^nd in the NFL with exactly 190 passing yards per game, and 26^th in the league with just 14 passing touchdowns. Whether it was the fault of quarterback Trent Edwards or the offense the Buffalo coaching staff preferred to utilize doesn’t matter - there was little fantasy value to be taken from that aspect of the team. It seems likely that things will be different this season, now that the Bills have hitched their proverbial wagons to the Terrell Owens carriage. Due to this, many fantasy owners are expecting Edwards to take a step forward in fantasy value. He did post an excellent completion percentage of 65.5 last season, but his touchdown-to-interception rate was undistinguished, at 11 scores to 10 picks. Edwards has an exceptional all-around stable of wideouts to throw to, especially if 6-foot-5 second-year pro James Hardy can become what many believe he can. That said, Edwards is certainly worthy of being selected in fantasy drafts, though trusting him as anything more than a QB2 right now isn’t a particularly good idea.

Miami Dolphins: You think rising from the dead is impossible? Well look no further than Miami signal-caller Chad Pennington, and you’ll be proven wrong. He was tossed aside by the Jets after Brett Favre decided to come out of “retirement”, and the Dolphins quickly snatched him up. Shockingly, Pennington quickly rose to fantasy relevance, starting Week 1 with a two-touchdown, 250-yard performance against his former team. From there, Pennington continued to help fantasy owners, and wound up leading the NFL in completion percentage at 67.4, coming in second in the league with a QB rating of 97.4, ninth with 3,653 passing yards and 12^th with 19 scores. There is little reason to think Pennington will regress this season, but he’s still not in the top tier of fantasy quarterbacks. He’s more like a 1B type of option. Probably not someone you want to simply plug into your lineup, but certainly good enough to utilize on a semi-regular basis.

New England Patriots: He’s back. Though those words don’t excite fans of the Bills, Dolphins, or Jets, they certainly do Patriots fans and fantasy owners. Tom Brady will be back under center, and he’ll surely bring back abhorrent memories to fantasy owners who had him on their team in 2008. His knee injury in Week 1 changed the fantasy landscape last season, and although there was some respite for those who were smart enough to immediately pick up Matt Cassel, it wasn’t the same. One thing people hopefully do not expect with Brady’s comeback is another 50-touchdown season. It’s not happening. That was a once-in-a-lifetime season that won’t be repeated. Yet Brady still has excellent weapons at his disposal, and is a top-five fantasy quarterback, at the least.

New York Jets: Whoever the Jets quarterback is, he won’t be worthy of fantasy consideration. That much seems to be fairly certain. Kellen Clemens and Mark Sanchez will battle it out, with Sanchez presumably the winner. If you’re going to bring up how Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco did last season as rookies in defense of using Sanchez, don’t, as those were far different situations. Both had rushing offenses behind them that were in the top four in the NFL, and though the Jets figure to have a solid running game and Leon Washington had an excellent all-around season last year, remember that Thomas Jones is going to be 31, and Shonn Greene has yet to prove himself beyond one campaign in Iowa. So there remain a few question marks in that area. The Jets also do not have a deep stable of receivers for Sanchez to throw to. Jerricho Cotchery, but beyond that, second-year tight end Dustin Keller is their top threat. There’s something else to consider when talking about Ryan and Flacco - neither had years that would make fantasy owners swoon. Ryan was better than Flacco, with 3,440 passing yards and 16 scores, but neither mark was even in the top 12. Flacco had just 14 passing touchdowns and fewer than 3,000 passing yards, and both marks ranked just 20^th. But those are just two players. There are many more examples of quarterbacks who were top draft picks floundering during their rookie year, even if they went on to great success. Sanchez may turn out to be special, but leave him on the waiver wire during fantasy drafts this year.

With the NFL Draft now complete, analysts across the country will now put on their teacher’s hats and hand out grades to each team. We’re going to go a different way and take a look at some of the fantasy implications of the draft, along with some other thoughts. So, in the immortal words of the Joker, here … we … go:

 - Chris “Beanie” Wells: Drafted by the Arizona Cardinals with the second-to-last pick in the first round, Wells immediately becomes a RB2 for fantasy owners. Edgerrin James seems destined to get cut, and Tim Hightower did little to establish himself as anything more than a decent backup, despite his touchdown vulturing.

- Michael Crabtree: There really isn’t any reason that Crabtree shouldn’t be starting opposite Isaac Bruce in Week 1 for San Francisco. His diva attitude apparently turned a number of teams off prior to the draft, leading to him slipping to the  10th overall pick, but it worked out well for the 49ers and fantasy owners alike. Call him a legit WR3 to start the year, with the potential to do even more.

- Knowshon Moreno: We’re not entirely sure where Moreno fits with the Broncos in terms of playing time, not because of lack of talent, but because Denver has 11 running backs on it’s roster. That number will certainly come down before the season starts, but Moreno will still be sharing time with a number of veterans, and even if he does get his share of the carries,  it’s difficult to envision him as anything more than later-round depth for fantasy owners.

- Donald Brown: This was an interesting selection by the Colts, who certainly had other needs than a backup to Joseph Addai. Still, Addai was a killer for fantasy owners last season, as he had just four games that he averaged at least 4.0 yards per carry (not counting his one carry, four-yard performance in Week 17), and one contest where he gained 100 yards. All this for a guy who was undoubtedly a first-round selection in fantasy drafts. Due to that performance, Brown becomes an essential handcuff, but likely one you’ll have to select a bit earlier than you may truly want to.

- James Laurinaitis, Rey Maualuga: This is for the IDP owners out there. As the first two middle linebackers taken, Laurinaitis by the St. Louis Rams and Maualuga by the Cincinnati Bengals, each should become immediate starters. We think Laurinaitis could have the better overall value because he has the ability to play all three downs, whereas Maualuga is likely only a two-down ‘backer. But both will have value to IDP owners.

DRAFTS WE DIDN’T LIKE

Oakland Raiders - We’re as confused  as everyone else as to what the hell the Raiders are doing. The knock isn’t on the players they chose. It’s possible Darrius Heyward-Bey and Michael Mitchell become perennial All-Pros and Hall of Fame players. We guess. The issue is that they could have had each of these players later down the line. Especially Mitchell. If they felt that strongly about him, all accounts are they still could have gotten him in the fourth round - and though it would have still been called a reach, it would have been far less egregious.

Detroit Lions - I’ve been on record saying that I have little faith in Matthew Stafford, and greatly prefer Mark Sanchez. In time, we’ll see who develops into the better signal-caller. I dont’ quite understand the selection of tight end Brandon Pettigrew when the team  had such bigger needs elsewhere. They would have been wise to try and trade back and take one of the aforementioned middle linebackers in Laurinaitis or Maualuga.

DRAFTS WE LIKED

- Philadelphia Eagles: Getting Jeremy Maclin to line up alongside DeSean Jackson and Kevin Curtis gives the Eagles arguably the fastest trio of wideouts in the NFL. Taking running back LeSean McCoy - an underrated back in our estimation - to backup and eventually fill the shoes of Brian Westbrook was a great move, as were the fifth-round selections of tight end Cornelius Ingram and defensive back Victor “Macho” Harris.

- Chicago Bears:  Jarron Gilbert will only help fortify the Bears’ defensive line, as he is a great athlete for a defensive tackle who can get to the quarterback. Receiver Juaquin Iglesias brings a much-needed refined route runner to Chicago, and he was a player who very easily could have gone in the early portions of the second round. However, one of the steals of the draft came in the team’s selection of cornerback D.J. Moore from Vanderbilt. Only his relative lack of speed and height, at five-foot-nine, hurt him. He played offense, defense, and special teams at Vandy, and all he did was produce, with 13 interceptions in three seasons.

Coach Mike Holmgren could not have asked for a worse going away present than the 2008 NFL season.

The Seattle Seahawks were the victims of a collapse the likes of which none of his teams had ever seen. Seattle went from a four consecutive division titles (and five consecutive postseason appearances) to a 4-12 record and a 3rd place finish.

What happened?

A lot of fans saw this disaster on the horizon. The team didn’t put together a particularly impressive showing in 2007, edging out Arizona for a spot in the playoffs a few games before being blown apart by the Green Bay Packers, 42-20. Yes, the team was statistically sound but certain things were troubling. Seattle lacked a running game, as Shaun Alexander’s career was falling apart - he rushed for just 716 yards and started only 10 games. The season’s saving grace was Matt Hasselbeck and the passing game, with Bobby Engram and Nate Burleson leading in receptions.

2008 was a completely different story. For starters, Alexander was long gone, replaced by another mostly incapable starter, Julius Jones. More important, however, was the absence of Matt Hasselbeck and his otherwise uncharacterstic play: he started just seven games during the course of the season, never finding his “zone” and finishing with a 57.8 passer rating.

While Seneca Wallace did his darndest to fill the gap left by Hasselbeck, putting together a decent passer rating - thanks in no small part to his hesitant, don’t-take-chances-or-I-might-make-a-mistake play - but the offense just couldn’t score enough points. As pointed out earlier, the running game was mostly ineffective, and defenses were content to keep the ball in Wallace’s hands.

The primary problem when Wallace was throwing the ball was his not involving the wide receivers. For instance, in 2007, Bobby Engram had 94 receptions. A season later and his number of catches was literally cut in half, to 47. Leading the team in receptions was tight end John Carlson.

One way to guage the experience and confidence of a quarterback is to see who catches the majority of his passes. Since a tight end led the team, one can safely assume Wallace was checking down and finding the biggest, easiest target to find. While it’s fine if a tight end is involved, when no wide receivers finish with at least 50 receptions and the running game fails to get rolling, teams don’t score points.

Not surprisingly, the Seahawks finished 25th in scoring offense.

Add to that a defense that finished 25th in scoring defense and you have a formula for disaster.

Speaking of which, what the heck happened to Seattle’s defense? In 2007 it ranked 6th in scoring; a season later and it was allowing 6.3 more points per game. So why the shift?

Patrick Kerney’s 2007 season featured him tallying 14.5 sacks. A season later and he missed more than half the games due to injuries. Sack total: 5.0. Julian Peterson’s sack total also went down, and he was without the 2 interceptions he had in 2007; now, he’s gone (traded). Lastly, the entire team failed to force as many turnovers, snaggin just 9 interceptions; 11 short of the year before.

All things considered, one could characterize Seattle’s 2008 season as mediocre with a heavy portion of bad luck and injuries. Hasselbeck was injured and off-key throughout the season; the defense couldn’t create turnovers, exposing itself as not-so-hot; the receivers weren’t involved enough in the passing game; and the running back by committee experiment failed to impress opponents.

Breaking Down Team Needs

1. Running Back - Julius Jones isn’t the answer, and Maurice Morris is gone. The Seahawks desperately need a starting running back, especially if Matt Hasselbeck goes down again in the near future. Another Shaun Alexander (in his prime, of course) would be just the ticket, but the team can get away with a pretty good starter who can split carries with Jones.

2. Outside Linebacker - Julian Peterson is gone and Leroy Hill’s long-term future is questionable. The Seahawks could especially use a good blitzing linebacker to pressure the quarterback.

3. Safety - There’s limited depth and Deion Grant and Brian Russell are in their 30s. Some young blood could really improve the secondary and ensure its future. Ultimately, this need can be filled with a mid-round pick or two.

4. Quarterback - I love Matt Hasselbeck, but he was questionable last season. He turns 34 in September and his years are numbered. Mark Sanchez will probably be available when the Seahawks are up to draft, though I’m not sure he’s the answer just yet.

Projected First Round Pick - Mark Sanchez - QB - USC - The Seahawks love Matt Hasselbeck, but new coaches like new quarterbacks; especially when the incumbent is coming off an injury-riddled season with its gaps filled in with poor production. Besides, Hasselbeck is going on 34 and having Sanchez to back him up over the next season or two will be good for his future.