Rumor Has It...

Calvin Johnson To See More Looks! Surprisingly, the departure of Mike Martz is great news for the young Calvin Johnson. Sadly, Johnson never truly benefited from Martz pass happy style. For some reason Martz has always had an attachment to players he coached in the past. For example, in 06’ Mike Furrey left the Rams to join Martz in Detroit and had a great season pulling in 98 balls for 1086 yards and 6 touchdowns. In 07’, Shaun McDonald was added to the list as he also left the Rams to play under Martz. He had a surprising solid season as well, leading his entire team in catches, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Our sources are now telling us that both Furrey and McDonald will have smaller roles under new offensive coordinator Jim Colletto. First and foremost, Colletto plans to run far more than Martz . Secondly, when passing, Colletto plans on targeting his two gifted receivers, Roy Williams and especially Calvin Johnson. It’s about time! Both tower over most defensive backs and both have exceptional speed to compliment their size.

Fantasy Spin: This is great news for the entire Lions offense. Last year, Detroit’s opponents where able to double both Johnson and Williams completely disrespecting the Lions’ running game. This forced Kitna to excessively target his slot receivers. Colletto’s commitment to the run will force teams to respect the run and will open up the field on the outside. This increases the fantasy value of every player on the Lions’ offense. Roy Williams, in our eyes, is a solid second wide receiver. Some may say he still belongs in the top 12 but we disagree. There are some inconsistencies in his resume. Williams has been in the league for 4 years, but has played a full 16 games just one time. Throughout these four years, he is only averaging about 60 receptions and 900 yards a season. Considering the many offensive changes taking place in Detroit, this may be his year, but until we see something substantial from Williams, we are perfectly happy drafting him as our second receiver as opposed to drafting him for potential as a late first receiver . Johnson on the other hand is someone we are very excited about. He will inevitably see a substantial increase in looks and catches. Last year Johnson was targeted 95 times. Expect that number to jump up into the 130’s, easily giving him the opportunity to pull in 85 balls. We also like Johnson as a WR2 and if forced to choose between the two, would suggest passing on Williams, possibly filling another position, and targeting Johnson a few picks later.


Croyle Winning His Team Over. Croyle enters the 08’ season with 6 starts under his belt, all of which ended in a loss. All eyes are on Brodie Croyle as he attempts to prove to his team and coaches that he can succeed at the pro level, and things seem to be off to a great start. “Brodie’s looking good, man,” wide receiver Dwayne Bowe said. “He threw a go route, back shoulder, against the wind. It was on the money. I was like, ‘Dude, you’re ready. It’s on.’ ” Croyle will enter the year as the Chiefs starting quarterback and while some still lack confidence in his ability, Croyle does not. “He’s like, in the huddle, eyes focused, everything on one accord,” Bowe said. “He’s ready.” His confidence and play merit the trust of fellow teammate Dwayne Bowe and as we draw closer to the season, we can expect this trend to continue.

Fantasy Spin: Croyle still has a lot of work to do before he elevates his play to warrant consideration from a fantasy perspective, but this new found confidence is great news for the likes of Larry Johnson, Tony Gonzalez and Dwayne Bowe. Johnson suffered greatly from the inconsistencies at quarterback as defenses stacked the line. We expect Johnson to be back to his old form, definitely ranking in the top 10 at his position. Gonzalez has always been reliable averaging 78 catches and 950 yards a year over the past 10 seasons. We don’t expect anything to change. The Chiefs most impressive performance from last year was Dwayne Bowe. With horrible play from his quarterbacks, the rookie somehow managed to rack up 995 yards and 5 scores. As Kansas City solidifies their weak areas, we can only expect an increase from Bowe making him an intriguing WR2.


Marshawn Lynch Looks Quicker and Stronger! According to Buffalo’s coaching staff, there is a notable difference in Lynch’s quickness and strength when compared to the previous year. After spending an entire year in an NFL strength and conditioning program Lynch is in the best shape of his career. He has also has added a new workout to his schedule. “Something that's been helping me out a lot is this pool workout I've been doing," said Lynch. "It's running underwater and swimming laps. It's just a little something that I like to do on the side." Lynch also believes Buffalo’s new offensive coordinator Turk Schonert’s high energy offense also plays a part in his new look. "With the new wrinkles that he has added, speeding up the tempo a little bit, it's exciting," said Lynch. "It keeps you on your toes and you can never even try to take a play off because you'll get left behind so fast."

Fantasy Spin: Unfortunately, Lynch’s superb rookie season was overshadowed by Adrian Peterson’s even more impressive season. On only 13 starts, Lynch ran for 1115 yards and 7 touchdowns. If the rumors are true and Lynch is entering the year stronger and quicker, he is a must have on all fantasy teams. He is already entering the fantasy season ranked in the top 12 at his position, so if you happen to draw one of the latter picks in your fantasy draft, be sure to target Lynch.


Jonathan Vilma Impressing Coaches. The 2004 Defensive rookie of the year, missed 9 games last season because of a knee injury. Prior to that, Vilma was averaging just over 130 tackles a season and was a dominant IDP selection. The Saint’s coaching staff is very optimistic when speaking of Jonathan Vilma. Even though he has been limited in practice, head coach Sean Payton speaking of Vilma’s performance said, “It's been very good, it's been real positive so far." If all goes well, the Saints plan to build their entire defense around Jonathan Vilma.

Fantasy Spin: Vilma’s knee surgery has many skeptical about his production and he is currently viewed as a late second option depending on where you look. This is an ideal player to target slightly earlier. In his four year career, Vilma has eclipsed the 100 tackle mark 3 times, one season even recording an impressive 173 tackles. Yes, this was all before his injury, but Vilma appears to be on track and healthy. If Vilma is able to reproduce what he accomplished in New York, you will be ecstatic with your selection.