Fantasy FanHouse

Never Too Early: Washington Redskins Fantasy Football Preview

Matt Snyder — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Redskins, NFC East, Fantasy Football

Hear that? It's the pitter-patter of fantasy football season approaching. Fantasy FanHouse is here to get you ready by previewing every team from a fantasy perspective.

Meet The ...
New look offense! Out with Al Saunders and Joe Gibbs and in with Jim Zorn's high-powered west coast offense. The offense Zorn is installing is the one used in Seattle under Mike Holmgren and has made fantasy stars of numerous players through the years, including Brett Favre, Shaun Alexander, and Matt Hasselbeck. This has caused everyone to expect that Clinton Portis -- since he's arguably more talented and much tougher than Alexander -- to become an absolute beast. That's all well and good ... just remember that Portis isn't following Walter Jones and Steve Hutchinson on one side of the line.

The Breakout
Jason Campbell has shown flashes of being a productive QB, but been derailed by injuries and inconsistency. He has plenty of tools and weapons to become a fantasy starter (top 12ish) in this offense. The Skins even tried to overload the receiving corps during the draft by selecting TE Fred Davis and WRs Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly with upper round selections. He did throw for 215, 348, 301, and 216 yards in the last four full games before he was injured. Be ready to pounce on Campbell as a quality backup with the chance to become a starter at some point in '08.

The Bust
I'm gonna go with Santana Moss, as I'm counting on the offense to spread the ball around -- other than to load up Portis with touches. Look at the depth the 'Skins drafted ... they obviously want to run guys in and out while utilizing the quick throws of the west coast offense. I'm not saying he's going to suck, but if you are drafting him with the hopes that he's going to be a standout performer you'll be quite disappointed ... 60 catches, 900 yards, and five TDs are his ceiling this year. Expect more? That's why he's listed here.

The Depth Chart
QB1 - Jason Campbell
QB2 - Todd Collins
RB1 - Clinton Portis
RB2 - Ladell Betts
RB3 - Eric Shelton
WR1 - Santana Moss
WR2 - Antwaan Randle-El
WR3 - Devin Thomas
WR4 - Malcolm Kelly
WR5 - Anthony Mix
WR6 - James Thrash
TE1 - Chris Cooley
TE2 - Fred Davis
K - Shaun Suisham

The D/ST
Kinda mediocre here. The Skins were 16th last year in points and didn't make any real adjustments. They do have an experienced nucleus that doesn't have to go through the system change like the offense does (new D-Coordinator Greg Blache was promoted from within). They don't get a ton of sacks or takeaways, and they only scored two times last year. All in all, they are a much better real unit than fantasy. You can use them as a bye week replacement, or when they face an anemic offense; but other than that it's just not that exciting a pick.

The Skinny
Like I said in the intro, this offense has been given a makeover. Hopefully it's not one of those makeovers that's an acquired taste, because there is some seriously explosive potential here for fantasy players. It's possible that Campbell emerges as a top ten QB -- yes, it really is -- with six viable receiving options by year's end (including the two TEs). Thomas, Kelly, and Davis have lots of talent and they can learn from the veteran leadership at their positions provided by Randle-El, Moss, and Cooley.

With Portis making a run at the top five overall, the offense will have an incredible balance by the season's midpoint. I alluded in the intro that I don't think you should overreact about Portis, but he's still gonna be a stud. An overreaction would be to pick him first or second. For now, take Portis as the seventh RB -- we covered the top six here -- Campbell as a sleeper-type backup QB, Cooley as a solid TE1, and let the WRs fall below their perceived value before taking them because of the unknown in this new offense. Still, it's an exciting time for a formerly boring offense.

Never Too Early: Washington Redskins Fantasy Football Preview originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Why Don't You Have an NFL Helmet Cap?

Sportz Assassin — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 00:58:00 EST

Filed under: Redskins, NFC East, NFL Fans, Fantasy Football

Every football season, my wife hooks me up with some new football gear. She gets me some new Redskins shirts, shorts, drawers, watches and even shoes. That's despite the fact that my football obsession causes her to become a 'football widow' each fall.

Well, her purchases means that we get some kooky catalogues sent to our house. We got one today from Harriet Carter, who specializes in quirky gifts. The quirkiest may be the NFL helmet cap, which is pictured. It comes in Redskins, Steelers, Eagles, Bears, Broncos, Cowboys, Patriots, Packers, Ravens, Giants and Jets.

NFL Helmet Cap keeps you warm and cozy as you root for your favorite team. Sporting official team colors and logos, it's the ultimate fan helmet! You can attach the snap-on neck warmer and chin strap or wear "helmet" alone as a hat. Fleece cotton blend is machine washable.

Um, who in the world would buy this? Well, except your grandmother who thinks you'll love it because it's your favorite team and you need to wear something to protect your cute little face in those cold winters. Maybe your wife will buy it for you ... knowing you'll hate it ... yet demand you wear it or it will hurt her feelings.

To be fair, the site has this item in its "just for fun" section ... so they know it's kind-of weird. Still, someone ... somewhere ... thought up this idea and someone else is getting paid to make them. .

My wife did get some cool Redskins logo Reeboks, however.

Why Don't You Have an NFL Helmet Cap? originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Sun, 23 Sep 2007 00:58:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tendinitis Slows Redskins RB Clinton Portis

Michael David Smith — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 08:28:00 EST

Filed under: Redskins, Fantasy Football, NFL Injuries, Washington, DC

Redskins running back Clinton Portis continues to suffer from tendinitis in his right knee, and the condition kept him out of Tuesday's training camp practice.

It's the latest piece of bad news on the injury front for Portis, who got hurt in the Redskins' first 2006 preseason game (shortly after saying he didn't think veterans should have to play in the preseason because of the risk of injury) and was never fully healthy last season. Portis missed half the year and finished with just 523 rushing yards, almost 1,000 yards below his previous career average.

With Chris Samuels likely to miss the entire preseason with a knee injury, the Redskins' offense won't be at full speed for a while. If there's any good news for Redskins fans, it's that Ladell Betts played very well in place of Portis last year. They may need him to do the same this year.

Tendinitis Slows Redskins RB Clinton Portis originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Wed, 01 Aug 2007 08:28:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Redskins' Jason Campell's Passing Trick

Sportz Assassin — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 13:22:00 EST

Filed under: Redskins, NFC East, Fantasy Football, Washington, DC

Big ups to Hogs Haven for finding this nugget. Here is Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell ... well ... just watch!

Redskins' Jason Campell's Passing Trick originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Tue, 31 Jul 2007 13:22:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How Inexperienced is Your Team's Offensive Skill Positions?

Stephanie Stradley — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 14:15:00 EST

Filed under: AZ Cardinals, Broncos, Browns, Chiefs, Cowboys, Raiders, Redskins, Texans, Titans, Vikings, Fantasy Football

I just got a new ride, and it has Sirius Satellite Radio in it. Sweet. I find that I listen a lot to Chill, Raw Dog Comedy and NFL Radio, not necessarily in that order. Anyway, yesterday on his NFL Radio program, Pat Kirwan mentioned his NFL.com article about how there could be 10 quarterbacks in the NFL this year who are starting the season for the first time as a 16 game starter. I hadn't realized it could be that many. He stresses that expectations shouldn't be too high for these quarterbacks because their learning curve is steep.

Stat stud, Doug Drinen at the always interesting Pro-Football-Reference.com blog, wrote an entry a while back about the difficulties of teams with inexperienced players at the offensive skill positions. He took a historical look at the greenest teams at quarterback, running back, tight end and 2 wide receivers, and then compared that to their final season records. Though there were a few success stories in the bunch, the data shows that the least experienced teams at the skill positions usually stunk. But since all quarterbacks have to start somewhere, a number of those quarterbacks helming those teams eventually went to the Super Bowl.

So, I have a few questions for you. Are you concerned about the inexperience of your team's quarterback and/or the skill players around him? And, what other Sirius radio programs do I really need to check out?

How Inexperienced is Your Team's Offensive Skill Positions? originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Thu, 12 Jul 2007 14:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Clinton Portis Now Probable For Monday

Sportz Assassin — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 18:20:00 EST

Filed under: Redskins, Fantasy Football

ESPN.com is reporting that Clinton Portis will play on Monday night when the Washington Redskins host the Minnesota Vikings.

He has been upgraded to probable, but won't start. Gibbs said, "If I had to say, I think Ladell [Betts] will start and Clinton will play a backup role in the game. That's the way I think it's going to go. I think that's what we've tried to accurately portray during the week."

So what does that mean for fantasy owners?

Well, if you are still able to tweak your lineup, then Portis is worth a look. The run game matches up well against the Vikings....so even Betts and Duckett could be sleeper fantasy picks in flex leagues.

In reality, this means that Portis will not only play, but play a lot. Why risk further injury to Portis if he can't play more than just a few plays?? He won't start, but he'll be in there and the stronger he seems to be, the longer he may play.

And as a Redskins fan, I really believe in a possible short yardage situation at the goal line, Portis will get a look. If nothing more than a Portis TD would really lift the spirits of a team that really seemed to become depressed when Portis initially hurt his shoulder in Cincinnati.

Portis owners [and I am one], really keep an eye on this situation. If it looks like he'll play, start him.

Clinton Portis Now Probable For Monday originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Sat, 09 Sep 2006 18:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Clinton Portis, Shawn Springs Uncertain for Opener

Michael David Smith — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 08:23:00 EST

Filed under: Redskins, NFC East, Fantasy Football, NFL Injuries

The Redskins still don't know if they'll have running back Clinton Portis and cornerback Shawn Springs available when they open their season against the Minnesota Vikings Monday night. Portis dislocated his shoulder in the preseason opener and hasn't been able to practice since. Springs had abdominal surgery on Aug. 15 and likely won't be back until Week 2 at the earliest.

If Portis sits, Ladell Betts is next on the Redskins' depth chart, although without Portis Joe Gibbs would probably go with a committee approach among Betts, T.J. Duckett and Rock Cartwright. All three of them have had some success in the NFL and could pick up some fantasy points for an owner who grabbed them late in the draft, but none of them is Portis.
Gibbs says he has to see Portis practice before he'll put him in a game. Now, Joe Gibbs is a genius and I'm not, but I don't quite understand that. If Portis can't practice through the weekend but then wakes up Monday morning and says, "Coach, the shoulder feels great. I can go tonight," is Gibbs really going to say, "Sorry, but we're just going to have to sit you because you didn't practice"? I can understand having a rule like that for a high school team, but is it really a wise use of Daniel Snyder's resources to keep the guy with the $50 million contract on the sidelines and give the rock to Ladell Betts instead?

Clinton Portis, Shawn Springs Uncertain for Opener originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Wed, 06 Sep 2006 08:23:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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