What we are talking about:
Jay Cutler
Doing pretty well for himself
Luck or RG3
Who do you pick in 2012?
Punk vs. Bryan
Matchup for the ages
The 2012 NFL Draft is in the rearview mirror and it's time to start looking forward to the upcoming season. Seriously, it will be here before Albert Pujols hits his first home run.
But for right now, let's take a look at some of what I liked and disliked about the draft and who were the biggest winners and losers. I really like what the Chicago Bears have been doing. Jay Cutler has had one of the best offseasons in recent memory. And some of it even has to do with what happened on the field.
Intrigued? Seriously ... not even a little bit? Come on, you've already clicked on this story, at least give it a look.
If you're new to this column, a couple of quick rules. The players and things I like are on the left, and things that I dislike are on the right, with names highlighted for your convenience, if you just want to skim. And if you're still confused, I don't know what to tell you.
And without further ado ...
I'm going to angle for one of the rookie quarterbacks as a backup (and I need to take one in my keeper league) and my guy is going to be Andy Luck. He doesn't get enough credit for his intangibles, and his combine scores were similar to Cam Newton's. Plus he's going to have Coby Fleener in the mix, too. The decision is rather easy for me. …
Fleener is in my top 10 for tight ends. Outside of the big names (you know who they are), you have Jacob Tamme and Fleener sitting right there at the end of the TE1 discussion. …
BenJarvus Green-Ellis is one of the biggest winners of the draft. The Bengals didn't select any real competition for him, so he's a clear-cut No. 1 running back. And we don't get many of those anymore. I have the Law Firm as my No. 14 running back, but he's going to be rising. …
Although I do have Trent Richardson rated ahead of him. Richardson landed in the right spot in Cleveland, so he's going to be a three-down back for the Browns. And I don't care what Jim Brown says, I'm going to be riding high with Richardson in the draft this year. …
Blaine Gabbert was helped a lot in the draft and in free agency. With Maurice Jones-Drew, Laurent Robinson and now Justin Blackmon in the fold, he won't be able to point to a lack of weapons anymore. That's a pretty nice upgrade. Gabbert doesn't become a QB1, and shouldn't be drafted, but he's somebody to keep an eye on. …
The Cardinals' quarterback also benefits from the draft. Adding a strong presence like Michael Floyd should make life easier for Kevin Kolb or John Skelton. Neither guy is going to be a QB1 heading into the draft, but surely you could do worse as a backup. No, seriously, you could, by drafting Mark Sanchez. …
I see Floyd having a better season than Blackmon. Sure, Blackmon is going to be a No. 1, but don't get too wrapped up in that. Floyd is going to benefit from having Larry Fitzgerald across from him and will get some chances in the red zone. He's going to give the Cardinals a presence they have missed since they parted ways with Anquan Boldin. …
Jay Cutler, again, has had one of the best offseasons ever. His beautiful bride, Kristin Cavallari is pregnant. And the Bears went from one of the most nondescript shorties to a rather physically imposing bunch with the addition of Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. That's akin to going from Primo and Epico (get this song out of your head now) to Sheamus and Randy Orton. I guess Devin Hester is Daniel Bryan in this comparison. …
ImageSpeaking of wrestling, you can't help but admire the work John Cena put in against Brock Lesnar at Extreme Rules. Lesnar worked stiff, Cena forgoes the crimson mask for a crimson helmet and the Chicago crowd embraced him. So there you go kids, if people don't like you, just have a UFC guy bloody you, and you get instant admiration. …
ImageAnd wrestling is best when you can't tell if what you're seeing is real or not (like the origins of the nWo). Watching Lesnar pummel Cena early, followed by his limp arm, made us think he was legitimately hurt. Which, of course, was dispelled on RAW the next night. But for a time, wrestling was real! …
ImageWas it my imagination or are we going to finally get CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan at next month's PPV? This should be the battle to see who truly is the best in the world. (Which, of course, was Bryan's slogan on the indie circuit.) …
Cutler cements his spot in the top 10 for me. Marshall is one of the most underrated No. 1 receivers going. I like Jeffery, but he's not going to be much of a fantasy option for you this year. Sorry, was it abrupt to just jump back to fantasy? …
Doug Martin is going to fly up draft boards now that he's in Tampa Bay. The only thing keeping him from being a No. 1 is that he's likely to yield goal-line work. …
Ben Roethlisberger also needs to move up the list, too. He benefits from another great Steelers draft, with the addition of David DeCastro. The Steelers' offensive line is going to be better this season, so whoever lines up at running back will benefit, too. …
Shonn Greene survived draft weekend without the Jets adding an extra running back. I guess the Jets only collect mediocre quarterbacks. I should know better, but every year I'm compelled to draft Greene based on the belief this will be the year. It won't. …
David Wilson becomes a suddenly viable running back sharing time with Ahmad Bradshaw. And I know, you might think this is bad for Bradshaw's value. That's not necessarily the case. Bradshaw would not have lasted the season if he had been asked to carry the rock 300 times. This keeps him healthy and productive as a high-end RB2. Wilson is a flex guy. …
Ryan Mathews escaped draft weekend without serious competition. The Chargers were rumored to be in the mix for a replacement for Darren Sproles, which they missed last year, but didn't draft a running back until Edwin Baker in the seventh round. So lock Mathews into your top five of fantasy running backs. …
ImageThe Los Angeles Kings have jumped to a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals. You're always waiting for the other shoe to drop with the Kings, but the team has looked fantastic in dominating St. Louis. The key has been the penalty kill, which is actually be the Kings' best offensive weapon. …
By now you should know my feelings on Redskins, so I'm going to pass on Robert Griffin, III this year. He's talented. He's super smart. He's amazing. But unfortunately for him, his coach is bat-crap crazy. Seriously, they drafted Kirk Cousins later in the draft. I guarantee you RG3 gets pulled at some point this season for Rex Grossman or Cousins. Believe it. …
Fred Davis is the only Redskins player I remotely like. And by "remotely like," I mean that if I was in some sort of "Saw" maze that forced me to pick one Redskins player, it would be him. …
Frank Gore's value continues to fall, thanks to the signing of Brandon Jacobs and now the drafting of LaMichael James. It's one of those great football moves, but bad for fantasy. I would keep an eye on how the 49ers handle the touches in the red zone. …
I feel a little bad for Blackmon. I was ready to take a chance on him if he went to the St. Louis FC, but his situation in Jacksonville scares me. Mainly because the Jaguars like him so much. Seriously, I feel like Jerry dating one of Newman's ex-girlfriends when I like the same players the Jags like. …
I'm also disappointed Lamar Miller tumbled in the draft to the Dolphins. I thought we were looking at a possible sleeper, and he still is. But he's going to be fighting Reggie Bush and Danny Thomas for time. At least Bush is bound to get hurt soon. …
ImageSpeaking of Reggie Bush, Kim Kardashian was on the live version of "30 Rock." Well, at least on the West Coast. So why does "30 Rock" have to hate on us? I love this show for being smart and funny. And I want to write off a Kardashian appearance as some subtle humor I'm not getting, but I can't do it. I haven't removed you from the automatic record list, "30 Rock," but don't push your luck with this (expletive). …
ImageHaving a Kardashian on your show is the TV version of starting a Redskins running back. As long as you condone it, you're part of the problem. …
The Raiders didn't add a rookie running back of note to go with Darren McFadden, which tells me one of two things. Either the Raiders are down with Taiwan Jones as a backup, or they have no idea how the draft works. The latter option no longer seems plausible, considering the new regime. …
Congratulations to Jimmy Starks, who remains the top running back for the Packers. Though that seems to carry about as much credence as being the top setup man for the Los Angeles Angels. …
ImageThe Angels' start has been ugly, but Pujols has been struggling. If Pujols were killing it and the Angels were falling behind, I would be worried. But I've given up on the division. Take one of the wild-card spots. Weaver pitches that game, we win, Haren, Wilson and Weaver in Game 3 of the divisional round ... I like our chances. …
ImageMickey Hatcher got caught talking about a players-only meeting, which apparently upset Pujols. My only hope is this is the thing that gets Hatcher "future endeavored" soon. I don't mean to scapegoat, but it's frustrating. …
The revamped Bears look like they can move on without Matt Forte, and that's not good news for his fantasy owners. The Bears already have Mike Bush, and have the receivers now to make the passing game really sing. Forte is moving down my boards, and quickly. And it's going to be worse if he misses any camp. …
LeGarrette Blount is not worthy of much outside of touchdown-only leagues, because he's going to be the guy who gets the majority of the goal-line work for the Buccaneers. But he's clearly lost his luster after showing some flashes at times. I know I was burned by him big-time last year, so I'm personally kind of excited. …
Byron Hout is also probably excited because Martin is going to take his job. Hout, of course, was the guy who Blount made famous by rocking him in the jaw after Boise State's win over Oregon a few years back. Seriously, Hout is always going to be "that guy." …
Sam Bradford didn't get much help in the draft, which is really a shame, because he has a lot of upside. Bradford would have benefitted with Fleener at tight end, and you have to believe the St. Louis FC still could have picked Brian Quick just a few spots later. …
St. Louis might have made a mistake with Quick. The team had a chance to grab Fleener at the top of the second round, and could have had a chance to nab Quick a few picks later. ...
The Titans' Nate Washington and Damian Williams both took a value hit because of Kendall Wright. Washington had career highs as he filled in nicely for Kenny Britt last season, but he's not going to have much value this year and likely gets lost in the shuffle. …
ImageI hate when casual fans start advocating rules changes, but not enough for me to not suggest this rule change. A penalty in hockey should be killed off when a team scores a short-handed goal. I know I'm only advocating this because the Kings are killing it on the PK, but still, it makes too much sense.
For the record, you can submit your fantasy questions to NFL Fantasy Live, Michael Fabiano or me on Twitter. But realize, NFL Fantasy Live has 45,000 followers, and Fabiano has 50,000. Me? Just 13. See, the odds are better I will answer your question, so hit me up both via Twitter or via Facebook. Also be sure to catch the latest "Dave Dameshek Football Program."
