FanHouse

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 ...
Chad Johnson media circus. Seriously, dude, just shut up and play. Other than him -- though I doubt he thinks we're all aware there are actually other players on the team -- there's a decent crowd of players here with whom fantasy owners are quite familiar. Rudi Johnson and Carson Palmer are traditional high picks, and T.J. Houshmandzedah has really come on strong as an elite wideout.

The Breakout
As much of a punk as he is, Chris Henry put up numbers in this offense when he was actually on the field. Palmer doesn't utilize his slot receiver like Peyton Manning, but he does it quite well. So will it be Jerome Simpson or Andre Caldwell? Palmer's already raving about the maturity of Caldwell and is weary of the rawness to Simpson. That's enough for me. Andre Caldwell is your Bengals breakout for '07. It's gotta be late in a bigger league before you decide to take him, but he's still got a chance to hit it quasi-big this year in the slot.

The Bust
Chad Johnson, easy. There's just too much noise going along with his injury and the fact that Housh is a better player ... not to mention that Palmer is probably getting a little annoyed with Ocho's act. (In my best Dwight Shrute voice) QUESTION: in how many leagues will you see Housh get picked before Johnson? Exactly. That's a bust: failing to live up to expectations.

The Depth Chart
QB1 - Carson Palmer
QB2 - Ryan Fitzpatrick
RB1 - Rudi Johnson
RB2 - Kenny Watson
RB3 - Chris Perry
RB4 - Kenny Irons (will move up if he gets healthy)
WR1 - Chad Johnson
WR1a - TJ Houshmandzadeh
WR3 - Andre Caldwell
WR4 - Jerome Simpson
WR5 - Antonio Chatman
WR6 - Mario Urrutia
TE1 - Ben Utecht
TE2 - Reggie Kelly
K - Shayne Graham

The D/ST
Marvin Lewis has never really worked his magic on this unit, and I'm not sure why this would be any different. The linebacking corps got a makeover with Dhani Jones and Darryl Blackstock now starting, and replaced Justin Smith with Antwan Odom on the defensive line. I could see enough strides to put this team in contention for a top 20 showing, but do you really want to count on that for any production at all? I wouldn't ...

The Skinny
Last year was rough on Rudi Johnson owners, but the Bengals obviously weren't fazed this off-season ... they haven't added anyone to push him. Sure, there are Shaun Alexander rumors circulating, but nothing firm has come forth. I'm not overly bullish about Rudi heading into this season, but his value is quite low and, again, this job is in his sole possession. Grabbing him in the third round is not a bad spot at all.

Carson Palmer still has plenty of weapons, and he's actually become a bit less sexy of a pick. Maybe people are getting bored with the Bengals? Who knows, but he's a solid starting QB in real life and fantasy. Housh is an elite wideout that should be taken in the top ten for his position. Ocho Cinco should go around 15, but he'll be gone before that.

Other than that, Watson is a handcuff, Caldwell is a late-round sleeper, Utecht is a low-end backup TE, and Graham is an elite kicker. That's it for draft day!