By Erik Blomain

Miami Dolphins

The Pass

The QB position is a mess, with a somewhat open competition between John Beck, import Josh McCown, and rookie Chad Henne. McCown was assumed to be the probable starter, and he has had some NFL success in the past, but a lack of weapons coupled with the bizarre wood-cutting accident he received at the hands of his brother limit his upside. Also Henne has reportedly impressed in practice, taking the bulk of the first team snaps. The youth movement in Miami may give him a chance to start. None of these options are fantasy rosterable right now. Ted Ginn and Derek Hagan will be the vertical receivers with veteran Ernest Wilford working underneath. The talented Ginn is the most likely to have value of the bunch, but until you see anything from the QB position, look elsewhere for your sleeper WR3. David Martin is not even a backup quality TE.

The Run

Ronnie Brown is the incumbent starter, but Ricky Williams looks to reprise his 2005 role in the two-headed monster. Williams is unlikely to repeat his 700 yards and 6 touchdowns of that year, and he only lasted one drive in 2007 before he succumbed to injury. Still his presence will help keep Ronnie Brown fresh, and would be an adequate fill in should Ronnie Brown stumble in his rehab from a torn ACL. Brown is a fine RB2 in all formats if healthy.

The Rest

This defense is a work-in-progress as the youth movement has been kicked into high gear. You can do better. Reliable Jay Feely was good at kicker, but does not get enough opportunities for fantasy relevance.

Buffalo Bills

The Pass

Trent Edwards was the surprise starter after injuries and inconsistency plagued J.P. Losman's supposed breakout season. Edwards was shaky as a starter at times, but has NFL tools and can only improve. Just who is Lee Evans? Is he the dominant deep threat from 2005 or the inconsistent WR from last year. Quarterback play certainly contributed to his down year, but he has to step it up when defenses double team him. 6'5” 2nd round receiver James Hardy should relieve some pressure working underneath, so a comeback season is more than possible. Robert Royal hauled in 3 touchdowns last year and may be a sneaky TE2 this year.

The Run

Marshawn Lynch had a fine rookie campaign and can only get better as this offense matures. He was under-utilized in the passing game in 2007, a trend that is likely to change with the departure of Anthony Thomas. Look for him to touch the rock 20 times a game and get all of his team's goal line carries. This is a deadly combination in this running-back-by-committee era. Several nagging injuries bothered him last year, raising a small health red flag. Still, he is a solid RB1 or dominant RB2 in all formats. Fred Jackson will resume his backup role and is a good handcuff.

The Rest

The addition of Marcus Stroud can only help the defense, but it is unlikely that 1st round pick McKelvin can solve the coverage woes by himself. With a healthy Paul Posluszny this young Defense is an interesting sleeper. Ryan Lindell is an accurate kicker who could put up solid numbers but is not a starter.

New York Jets

The Pass

They may be a Brett Favre trade away from a playoff berth, but at press this trade was still only fit for the rumor mill. The current open competition between Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens reeks of fantasy irrelevance. Cotchery and Coles without Favre will likely muddle through mediocrity again. In 2007 Cotchery had the yards without the touchdowns while Coles was the exact opposite. Expect those numbers to equalize a bit. Coles still has freakish speed, but in the dink-and-dunk Pennington offense Cotchery is the more consistent option. Dustin Keller was the first tight end taken in the draft, and is a speedy option, but his struggles in blocking along with his anemic quarterback limit his upside.

The Run

The line improved in the offseason, which bodes well for incumbent starter Thomas Jones, that is, if he scores more than two touchdowns in 2008. The presence of Leon Washington and the addition of goal-line threat Jesse Chatman stands in the way, but Thomas Jones should respond to the threat to his job with a fine season. Washington is probably better utilized as a change of pace than as a starter.

The Rest

Mike Nugent struggles from a distance making the former 2nd round pick a fantasy afterthought. This defense upgraded its pass rush from horrible to mediocre, but its secondary remains suspect. Not even Leon Washington's explosive return game can save this unit for fantasy.

New England Patriots

The Pass

Tom Brady's dominance in 2007 defies description; he was simply brilliant. He was so dominant that he could throw half as many touchdowns and still be a top 10 quarterback. Although another 50 touchdowns is unlikely, 35-40 is a realistic projection as long as The Sweatshirt maintains his love of running up the score. Randy Moss returns after a bit of free agent drama, and is the consensus number one receiver in fantasy. Wes Welker is a good starting option working over the middle. Jabar Gaffney and Chad Jackson will battle it out for the WR3 spot where Stallworth and Gaffney combined for 8 touchdowns last year. Ben Watson had a stellar first half, but he wore down down the stretch. He will need to find consistency before he is a starting fantasy tight end. Consider him a high-upside TE2.

The Run

It was a tale of two seasons for Laurency Maroney. Injuries plagued his first half, and he lost significant reps to Sammy Morris. Maroney was money in the 2nd half with Morris gone, scoring 6 touchdowns. The bad news? Morris is now healthy, and the Patriots recently signed Oakland-Castaway Lamont Jordan. Kevin Faulk and Heath Evans will also likely have limited roles. Maroney's strong finish to 2007 no doubt endeared him to the coaching staff, but his injury history and the sheer number of backs limit his upside. He is likely overvalued as a RB2.

The Rest

Costly departures and aging players are major concerns with this unit. Losing Asante Samuel means fewer takeaways, but it is easy to play defense with a four score lead. New England is still a top 10 defense, but will likely be overvalued on draft day (2nd one taken on average). Gostkowski was a fine kicker even with the Patriots' unprecedented red zone success in 2007. If that number drops even slightly, Gostkowski's attempts will increase. Either way he is a solid starting kicker in fantasy leagues.

 

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