Who's Hot, Who's Not

HOT:

Jason Campbell: The number one rule of the pre-season as it relates to fantasy football is never read too much into a player’s production. Please excuse me as I contradict myself for a moment…Jason Campbell looked outstanding in the pre-season opener against the Colts! All excitement over the pre-season starting aside however, there are plenty of reasons that Jason Campbell finds himself on my hot list. Two healthy speedsters and the addition of the 6-2 218 lb. playmaker out of Michigan, Devin Thomas, top the list. Chris Cooley is proven. Add to his ability the talents of a healthy Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle El, Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly, and Jason Campbell has a host of competent receiver options to choose from.
Reason number 2 is Clinton Portis coming off a strong showing in 2007, a year in which he proved that he is back to form and can play in every game. Portis handled the rock 325 times in 07’, so the interest of most defensive units will be on Portis first, Campbell second. The third and final reason is simply opportunity. The implementation of Jim Zorn’s west coast offense, will likely result in Jason improving upon his 417 pass attempts from the year prior. Zorn’s playbook should prove to be relatively easy for Jason to absorb and will employ quite a bit of dump-offs to the running back as Zorn himself indicated earlier in the off-season. So there you have it, three good reasons why Jason deserves a spot on your roster, as a reserve of course. Not based solely on his pre-season performance, although I will admit that initiative was sparked by it.

Santana Moss: Moss finds his way on the hot list for one of the same reasons that Campbell does…opportunity. Despite the acquisition of collegiate playmaking receivers in the draft, Moss will prove to be the focal point of this Washington pass offense. In an effort to acclimate Campbell to a new offense and to give him a level a comfort, Zorn will use Moss in a variety of sets which will include screens and slants that will allow Santana to use his speed and shiftiness to make plays. In most drafts Moss is going as a late WR3. Moss is good value that late in the draft as he has high potential. Don’t reach for Moss, but don’t hesitate to snag him as you WR3, should he fall to you.

D.J. Hackett: Hackett is hot for no other reason than that Steve Smith is suspended for the first two games of the season. There was talk out of Carolina that perhaps Head Coach John Fox would go with the safer option in Muhsin Muhammad as the second receiver. The first two games of the regular season can now serve as a further audition, and I fully expect D.J. Hackett to win out and continue to play a role in the Carolina offense after Steve Smith returns from his suspension, should he remain healthy of course. Consider Smith’s suspension a perfect opportunity for Jake and D.J. to get to know each other better on the field without distraction.

Ted Ginn, Jr.: Ginn continues to make strides in improving his receiving ability. In addition to the fact that Ginn is the favorite to claim the #1 receiver job, Tony Sparano has indicated that Ted will likely not relinquish any of his special team duties. He will be featured as the team’s premier kick and punt return specialist. It’s safe to say that Ted Ginn, Jr. has potential similar to that of Devin Hester. Although Ginn is far less explosive on special teams, he is the superior receiver and will likely be used in a similar fashion on offense. (Screens, reverses and so forth) In an offense that is lacking playmakers, rest assured that Ginn will be the primary target when the ball is in the air.

NOT:

Brandon Marshall: Marshall is not hot for an obvious reason, his current three game suspension. Keep in mind that his relationship with Jay Cutler is still fresh, and Cutler has already publically expressed his disapproval with Marshall’s off-season antics and this suspension will not help matters any. This is not to say that Marshall will not come in and perform, but his behavior thus far reeks of a guy who’s career could be riddled with “incidents”. His value as a WR2 is undeniable, so he is still impossible to pass on, despite the fact that his season will be cut short by at least 2 games, but buyers beware.

Laurence Maroney: Poor, poor Laurence. Overshadowed in 07’ by New England’s ridiculous pass offense, and now, with the addition of LaMont Jordon, he will no doubt have his looks and touches negatively affected. Kevin Faulk had already established himself as a more than competent third down back, which hurt Maroney’s value in PPR leagues. LaMont Jordon will prove to be a solid goal-line option in New England which may reduce Maroney’s looks to first and second down between the 20’s. It remains to be seen how this will play out, but draft with caution. Maroney currently sits as a low-end RB2, borderline RB3.