Posts tagged KevinSmith at FanHouse

We're a quarter of the way through the fantasy football season. By now, it's getting easier and easier to pinpoint who is on the "hot seat" in fantasy terms. It's mid-week, so you already know who should be plucking off the waiver wire. And if you haven't ventured that route yet, it's probably too late.

No worries, I can at least tell you who you can dump from your valuable roster and who you should just sit tight with. Yup, let's not waste any time and roll into another installment of 'Sink or Swim'. It's where you have the difficult propositions to face and I shed some sobering light on fleeting mediocre stars. On the table today are a few key running backs in Kevin Smith, Laurence Maroney, and DeAngelo Williams. Let's dive into this thing... shall we?

Kevin Smith: The emergence of Rudi Johnson, coupled with the impending collapse of the Lions' original game plan to run more spells doom for this rookie. Of course, the rumors that the Lions were flirting with Cedric Benson and Shaun Alexander recently is another sign that there might be a lack of faith in Smith. Well, that's a bitter pill to swallow for those, like myself, who wasted a pick on Smith hoping he could be a RB3 or even a RB2. All the signs from training camp pointed to Smith being the man. Then again, shame on us all for having faith in a Lions running back.

You've got questions. I've got answers. If not, I'll make them up. Each Thursday at 1 p.m. EST, I answer your queries on all things related to the NFL. If you have a question, send it over to NFLMailbag@gmail.com. Don't forget to include your name and location. Click here for the archives. Rock'n'roll.

How will the Saints offense make up for the loss of Jamar Nesbit and Jeremy Shockey for the next month, especially with Marques Colston out? Do you see any receivers finally catching anything?
- J. Willits, Jackson, MS

The Saints have been debacled by injuries so far this year; one-fifth of the roster appeared on this week's injury report. Nesbit's suspension makes him the 11th starter from the presumed opening day roster to miss time this year. That being said, while it never helps to lose a starter, Nesbit's injury opens the door for coaches to get a look at Carl Nicks, the one-time Nebraska right tackle they drafted in the fifth round this year. Nicks was thought generally to have second- or third-round talent, but some trouble he got into in college, causing him to be banned from Nebraska's pro day, caused him to drop. He was converted to left guard in the offseason and coaches rave about the athletic ability he has for his size (6'5'', 343). Nesbit has been the weakest link on a line that has really performed poorly in the run game, so seeing what Nicks can do might prove to give the line a spark.

As far as the receivers are concerned, Robert Meachem is going to get increased looks, and rightfully so. He's only got three catches in two games, but they've totaled 105 yards and a touchdown, and all have been for first downs. Each catch has showed a flair for the ability to make plays. The Saints always find a way to move the ball through the air, so they'll put together a good enough attack to hold them over, but Meachem will work his way into the forefront. By the way, the Saints have San Francisco, Minnesota, and Oakland in the next few weeks, so their schedule is pretty favorable while everyone gets healthy.

Five touchdowns. Five (if you include the pass). We aren't gonna see that day again this season, not from Ronnie Brown or anyone else. Hopefully those who owned Ronnie in Fantasyland were fortunate enough to have him in their starting lineups. What can we expect moving forward, though?

Simply put, I believe we just saw proof that Ronnie's now fully healed from his knee injury. Before the injury in '07, Brown was one of the top fantasy RBs in the league. The Dolphins are going to keep him as the starter with Ricky Williams occasionally spelling him or joining him in the backfield -- which happened several times Sunday.

Brown and the Dolphins now have a bye week ... which will help just in case his knee really wasn't 100 percent yet, and will come back for week five against the Chargers at home. Though the matchup isn't overly easy, Ronnie just proved to each and every one of us that you can't take the chance of having him on your bench. He's a RB2 in most leagues, but may seep his way into RB1 territory by the end of the year -- especially with so many first round picks crapping out.

According to the Detroit Free Press, the Lions brought in a trio of running backs to meet with their staff on Tuesday. Of Shaun Alexander, Vernand Morency, and Cedric Benson ... it would appear the Lions have made their choice:

In a report by News 8 Austin, a 24-hour news channel in Texas, (city council member Mike) Martinez and Benson, a former Texas Longhorns back, were supposed to announce a program by Benson's charity to help children get winter coats, but Benson was not in Austin for the announcement.

"Unfortunately, but fortunately, Cedric Benson is not here today," he said. "He is actually signing a contract today to get back in the game with the Detroit Lions ... "

Also contained in the article was information that the Lions were not in a huge hurry to sign the back, because they are happy with their current backfield situation and this is merely injury insurance. If that is really true, the Lions front office is even dumber than we have thought all along.

Let's go at it logically ...

According to the Detroit Free Press, the Lions brought in a trio of running backs to meet with their staff on Tuesday. Of Shaun Alexander, Vernand Morency, and Cedric Benson ... it would appear the Lions have made their choice:

In a report by News 8 Austin, a 24-hour news channel in Texas, (city council member Mike) Martinez and Benson, a former Texas Longhorns back, were supposed to announce a program by Benson's charity to help children get winter coats, but Benson was not in Austin for the announcement.

"Unfortunately, but fortunately, Cedric Benson is not here today," he said. "He is actually signing a contract today to get back in the game with the Detroit Lions ... "

Also contained in the article was information that the Lions were not in a huge hurry to sign the back, because they are happy with their current backfield situation and this is merely injury insurance. If that is really true, the Lions front office is even dumber than we have thought all along.

Let's go at it logically ...

Value Machine checks the current value of non-obvious names -- no Tony Romo or Brian Westbrook here -- for owners looking to scope out the trade market.

For the record, the most egregious thing about Ed Hochuli's snafu is being overlooked by everyone. I officiate high school -- I understand I'm far less qualified to complain than an NFL official, but this does make me more qualified than someone sitting at their computer claiming the "refs cheated" -- and the worst part about the call was the fact that the ball went backwards. Even if Hochuli thought, in real time, Jay Cutler's arm went forward, the ball still went backwards. A backwards pass is a loose ball. How the referee can't see that from even with the QB is beyond me. People keep talking about the whistle, but it's not acceptable to blow it there. I still respect him as an official, because human error is part of the game. Human error like this, though, shouldn't happen in such a high level game.

Even without the extra points, that he never should have accrued, Cutler had another big game. With two young, studly receiving speedsters and a reliable tight end, this isn't likely to change anytime soon. This time, the Broncos actually played a legitimate defense. You don't want to expect around 30 points a week, but it's very reasonable to start expecting 20. Jay Cutler is your top for week two.

"Set the gearshift for the high gears of your soul...you've gotta run like an Antelope out of control."

Ah yes, the year of the Rookie RB is upon us in Fantasy Football. There have been many a great year in the past, but certainly not a talent pool so potent and so deep as this year's class. There are more than a handful of solid rookie RB options this season and any one of them could very well help you win your league. It's no surprise that most of these guys weren't flying under any radar this pre-season.

However, many of them could be found on the cheap or at a bargain rate in the 4th round or later of most Fantasy Drafts. And most of them appear to be off to a solid, perhaps steady start. Well, not many Darren McFadden owners are nodding their heads in agreement...just yet. That's hard to figure, considering he was the most coveted prize from the crop. Need I remind everyone...it's still very, very early?

Anyhow, after one week in the books it's time to gage the old value meter and track the progress of each back. We'll be taking the temperature of each RB as the season winds along. Of course, let's not get too excited and rush to judgment, because it is only one week, but for now here's how they stand.

After initially denying Keith Rivers the ability to change jersey numbers without forking over $11,000, Rivers is going to have the ability to wear the number that he wanted. Kevin Smith? We're still not sure.

The league originally told Smith that he couldn't change from no. 34 to 24, which he wore in college, because he wore "34" in the rookie photo shoot, and the number appears on all of Smith's trading cards.

Typically, when a player wants a number that's taken, he simply has to work out some sort of arrangement with the player who wears it. In Smith's case, he got safety Dwight Smith, the current wearer of the "24," to agree to switch. But the league has been a different story.

It's unknown whether Rivers paid the money to get the jersey change, so perhaps Smith will have to pay both the league and Dwight for the privilege, but the league will probably keep consistent with its decisions (unlike with the Personal Conduct Policy), and afford Smith the same opportunity as Rivers, no matter what that might be.

You've got questions. I've got answers. If not, I'll make them up. Each Thursday at 1 p.m. EST, I answer your queries on all things related to the NFL. If you have a question, send it over to NFLMailbag@aol.com. Don't forget to include your name and location. Click here for the archives. Rock'n'roll.

I know that this feature is slated to run on Thursdays, thus making this a day late. The Thursday season opener threw things off this week, but the mailbag will be running every Thursday from here on out. I wasn't hung over and I didn't forget. OK, I was a little hung over. Anyways ...

Was it a good move for the Carolina Panthers to dump Brett Basanez, a QB who'd been with the team for some time, knew the offense, and was relatively young with some upside, and instead bring in Josh McCown, who very well may be a decent backup but shouldn't be starting in this league, whereas Basanez possibly could have one day been a starter?
- SoulCitySigma1914, Greensboro, NC

Basanez did make a solid impression entering this year after two years mostly on the Panthers' practice squad, enough that a few teams gave him a look when the Panthers released him. That being said, the Panthers have a "project" quarterback that they like in Matt Moore, and they want to win now. Jake Delhomme is no sure thing, performance- or health-wise, so the Panthers probably wanted a backup with game experience who could come in if needed without disturbing too much. Basanez isn't that guy. Neither is Moore. Plus, I have to say, I've always liked McCown. Though four teams disagree. But what do they know? One of them was the Raiders ...

Everyone needs sleep. Including fantasy football teams and Democrats. We will now discuss some ways for you to get rest throughout Week 1. Notice what annoying word I'm avoiding. One from each major position in order of league depth; I will most certainly remind you when these people have big games on Sunday.

Now shut your eyes and dream of responsible spending, my little hippie.

Power Naps
Kevin Smith, RB, DET -- Smith has quickly fallen out of favor with fantasy owners because of Rudi Johnson's presence in Detroit. Tatum Bell's absence actually hurts his value, which is kind of depressing for Tatum and his family. And friends holding his misplaced luggage. But here's the thing: Rudi was cut by the Bengals. Ingrain that in your domepiece, friends.

Matt Schaub, QB, HOU -- He started last year pretty warm and he'll do the same this season. When he and Andre Johnson are on the field at the same time, good things happen.

Marvin Harrison, WR, IND -- Why are we hating on this guy again? Blatantly scoring two TDs this week.