Mini-Camp Tour - NFC East
NFC East
Dallas Cowboys
Despite the presence of Terrell Owens, it's been a quiet minicamp season in Dallas. The team has great continuity on both sides of the ball, and their young 3-4 defense looks ready to come of age. … Keep an eye on Terry Glenn's health. Rarely a durable player, an injury to him would make underrated third-year pro Patrick Crayton a starter. The No. 3 receiver may have a diminished role in the offense, however, with two decent pass-catching tight ends on the roster (Jason Witten and Anthony Fasano). … Julius Jones is staying away from yardage goals this season after aiming for 1,700 last year. This time around, he just wants to play 16 games. Sounds like a good approach. … Rookie receiver Skyler Green has made a good early impression and will be a big factor on returns for Dallas.
Rising: Drew Bledsoe – Healthy and improved O-line should make a difference.
Falling: Glenn – Will see less deep balls with Owens around.
New York Giants
There may be a small rift between Eli Manning and Plaxico Burress, but it won't affect fantasy leaguers. Burress led the NFL in pass targets last season (and drops). He's going to see the ball. One thing that would help their relationship is Manning improving his accuracy and Burress improving his concentration. Both can only go up. … The Giants say they want Brandon Jacobs to get more involved in the offense, lightening the load on Tiki Barber. I'll believe it when I see it. As long as Barber is playing as well as last season, they will continue to milk him, except in short-yardage situations.
The surprise candidate for Manning's backup job is none other than former Kentucky quarterback Jared Lorenzen, a.k.a. "The Hefty Lefty", a.k.a. "The Pillsbury Throwboy." (That felt like an introduction to a Wu Tang song.) Anyhow, Lorenzen reportedly outplayed Tim Hasselbeck and the ghost of Rob Johnson at minicamp. … The Giants are handing Sinorice Moss the No. 3 receiver role. I'm not sure where that leaves Tim Carter. Either way, it will be interesting to see if Moss steals touches from Amani Toomer or Jeremy Shockey. … LaVar Arrington will play strong-side linebacker this season, while Carlos Emmons plays on the weakside. Coordinator Tim Lewis insists there is little difference, but Emmons' stats skyrocketed down the stretch last season on the weak-side. He's an IDP sleeper, and Arrington could be overvalued, as usual.
Rising: Moss – Probably a year away in re-draft leagues.
Falling: Arrington – Likely to be an inconsistent tackler.
Philadelphia Eagles
I can't bear to read another article about how the Eagles will try to run the ball more this season. Despite consistently winning (which usually means more rush attempts), Andy Reid's Eagles have ranked in the top 18 in rushes only once in his tenure. That was when Brian Westbrook, Duce Staley and Correll Buckhalter formed an impressive trio. Westbrook remains and Ryan Moats could be one of the league's best backups, but this team will still skew to the pass heavily. It's what they do best. … So, who will pick up T.O.'s catches? Reggie Brown reportedly hasn't stood out in minicamps, but he has a starting job. For now, Greg Lewis is lining up ahead of Jabar Gaffney and Todd Pinkston. If Gaffney could move up from the slot position, he could catch 60 passes. That looks unlikely. I'd stay away from the whole group.
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| L.J. Smith and Donovan McNabb have a good repore, which should make Smith a solid tight end pick this season. (Ezra Shaw / Getty Images) |
Considering L.J. Smith was a top five tight end while Donovan McNabb was healthy last season, he has been very undervalued in mock drafts. He is falling out of the Top 100 picks consistently. … Another year, another Buckhalter rehab. I have to imagine this is his last try. It shows a lot of guts to keep trying to push that rock up the mountain. If he makes the team, he'll be a short-yardage back. However, it's more likely to be Bruce Perry. … Matt McCoy, a second-year pro who was taken in the second-round last season, is Philadelphia's likely starting weak-side linebacker. He's a great target for value in deep IDP leagues.
Rising: Smith – Someone has to catch McNabb's passes.
Falling: Gaffney – Appears to be locked into a reserve role.
Washington Redskins
Mark Brunell's broken finger gave Joe Gibbs a chance to take a long look at Jason Campbell. Despite public talk to the contrary, doesn't Gibbs have to be considering giving Campbell the starting job? Perhaps it wouldn't play well in a veteran locker room, but neither do 41-yard playoff performances. Brunell is expected to be ready for training camp. Campbell is officially still listed third, but would probably take over if Brunell were seriously hurt. … The Redskins say they want to keep David Patten involved, but it's just not possible. Brandon Lloyd is locked into the starting job across from Santana Moss, and Antwaan Randle El isn't getting $30 million to be a No. 4 receiver. … An injury to rookie linebacker Rocky McIntosh has given Warrick Holdman a head start in the battle to be Washington's starting weak-side linebacker. Holdman was reportedly the star of minicamp. Washington linebackers usually produce in fantasy leagues. … The Redskins want to keep Ladell Betts very involved this year, perhaps while reducing Clinton Portis' workload. While he carried the team, Portis was worn out physically by the end of last season. … Washington has a head start on the rest of the NFL with all of their rookies signed, except McIntosh.
Rising: Lloyd – Leaving San Francisco can't hurt.
Falling: Brunell – May be facing more competition than most think.
Gregg Rosenthal directs the football coverage for RotoWorld.com and Fantasy Sports Monthly. You can reach him at GRosenthal@Rotoworld.com.
