Tag Archives: Anquan Boldin
Fantasy Football: Five Situations to Watch Coming Out of the Week 5 Bye
It’s that time of year. Fantasy Football owners are scrambling to fill holes in their lineup as Cleveland, Dallas, St. Louis, Miami, Washington, and Baltimore are on bye. Here are some things to keep an eye on when they get back to action.
.
1. Can the Dallas Cowboys get healthy?
It is normal, even expected, that teams are dealing with injury issues. It’s part of the game. While the Cowboys aren’t the team hardest hit by injuries, they have provided the most concern to fantasy owners. Dallas has five key players that are owned in all fantasy leagues. Tony Romo, Felix Jones, Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, and Jason Witten. Of those five Romo (ribs), Felix (shoulder), Miles (hamstring), and Dez (thigh) have been limited by injuries with both WRs missing game action. Usually an early bye is a disadvantage, but the timing couldn’t be better for the Cowboys.
.
2. Who’s going to be Miami’s Quarterback?
Chad Henne will miss the rest of the season because of a separtated shoulder. Matt Moore, who was 17 of 26 for 167 yards and an interception subbing in for Henne will get the first crack. The Dolphins signed Sage Rosenfels to provide a veteran presence, but he’s a career backup. While David Garrard is available, the scenario doesn’t seem likely. Garrard’s asking price is probably too high and his presence could possibly take them out of the running in the Suck for Luck Sweepstakes. There you have it. Moore is the guy in Miami. Fun.
.
3. Who’s the Lead Back in Washington?
Great question. Nobody has figured out the algorithm to understand Mike Shanahan’s logic when it comes to running backs. Certainly the flavor of the month is Ryan Torain, who is coming off a brilliant (19 carries, 135 yards, TD) performance against the Rams. Hightower had 283 total yards and two touchdowns in the first three weeks before injuring his shoulder. His yards per carry (3.5) leaves plenty to be desired, but he is good in the passing game. Plus, Ryan Torain has a lengthy injury history. Roy Helu is limited to change of pace duty. I wouldn’t drop Hightower by any means as Shanahan is as fickle as they come, but to me Torain is the league back at this moment.
.
4. Can the Rams’ offense come to life?
The Rams have been one of the more banged up teams to. They rank 27th in total yards and 31st in scoring at a mere 11.5 points per game. They weren’t exactly a powerhouse last year, but most expected to see improvement from Sam Bradford in his second year. The problem is he still doesn’t have the weapons on offense. Why they are making their franchise QB play without weapons is beyond me. Things should get better for St. Louis based simply on their schedule. They have faced the Eagles, Ravens, Giants, and Redskins. Philly and Washington are tied for the league lead with 15 sacks. The Giants are tied for fifth with 12 and the Ravens are tied for eight with 11. Coming out of the bye they have Green Bay, Dallas, and New Orleans so buying low would be premature now. Come Week 9 it’s a different story. Unfortunately it’s likely that only Bradford and Steven Jackson are worth owning.
.
5. Can Anquan Boldin snap out of it?
It’s not that he’s having a terrible year, but more was expected than 15 catches for 222 yards and score through four games. He’s averaging 3.8 catches for 55.5 yards. That’s more along the lines of Derrick Mason than what you’d expect from Boldin. If you take his last four regular season games from last year and he’s averaging 2.9 catches for 36.1 yards with one touchdown. He has just one 100-yard performance in his last 17 games. He has just five touchdowns over that stretch. I’m not saying you should give him away, but inquiring to see what you can get for him isn’t a bad idea.
Best Offseason Moves
The offseason is filled with countless player movement.
Every team is trying to acquire the pieces that will put them over the top and into Super Bowl contention.
Even with the lack of a new CBA preventing over 200 players from being unrestricted free agents, there was still plenty of action especially on the trade market.
In fact, five of the seven moves I’ve highlighted below were results of trades and not free agent signings.
Without further ado, here are the best moves this offseason.
Raiders Trade for Jason Campbell-For once it seems like Raiders are having a good season. Which leads us to wonder, what has gotten into Al Davis? He still can’t be running the show? Is he dead?
Regardless, picking up Campbell for a future fourth round pick was a steal. He can bring stability to the position that JaMarcus Russell couldn’t. While, I wouldn’t expect the Raiders to make the playoffs this year, seven wins aren’t out of the question. That’s saying a lot for a team that hasn’t won more than five games since 2002.
Dolphins trade for Brandon Marshall- This move grabbed the most headlines this offseason, and rightfully so. Marshall is a big time risk, but he is also a big time player.
For the Dolphins, this deal was a no brainer. Their best receiver last year was Davone Bess, who is best suited in the slot. Now they acquire a legitimate number one receiver in Marshall who has caught over 100 passes three years in a row. This move will also help the development of Chad Henne, who according to Dolphins owner Stephen Ross can be better than Dan Marino.
Jets Trade for Santonio Holmes- How often do you find a former Super Bowl MVP who had over 1,200 yards last season and is only 26, available? I certainly can’t remember another time. Kudos to Mike Tannenbaum and the Jets for taking advantage of this opportunity and swooping in to snag Holmes before any other team.
The best part was it only cost them a fifth round pick. To put that in perspective, the 49ers acquired Ted Ginn Jr. for a fifth round pick this offseason. I’ll just let that sink in for a little bit.
Ravens Trade For Anquan Boldin- The third receiver trade on my list, but I love it nevertheless. Boldin may not be the player Marshall is, but he gives the Ravens the same type of impact Marshall will give the ‘Phins.
Joe Flacco struggled last year at times when his only options to throw to were Derrick Mason and Ray Rice coming out of the backfield. Now, defenses will have to respect all threats and that should open up the passing game as well as the running game.
Cardinals Trade For Kerry Rhodes- The Cardinals lost Antrel via free agency to the Giants. The Giants signed him to a record-breaking deal for a safety. While he was a good player , he wasn’t worth that kind of money and the Cardinals knew it.
So to replace him, they acquired Kerry Rhodes via trade from the Jets. The Jets grew tired of Rhodes last season after he failed to fit into their new scheme, so they were willing to deal him. However, Rhodes was a big time playmaker earlier in his career and if he can regain that form, this deal will go down as a steal for the Cardinals.
Broncos Revamp Defensive Line- The Broncos made it a priority this offseason to address their defensive line after they finished in the bottom third of the league in run defense. The certainly were aggressive acquiring a whole new three man front for their 3-4.
Jarvis Green, Justin Bannan, and Jamaal Williams will now anchor the defensive line. When playing a 3-4, the defensive line is essential because they need to be able to occupy blockers so the linebackers can be free to roam and make plays. With these three players on board, the Broncos run defense should be significantly improved.
Bears Sign Chester Taylor- The Bears made some noise this offseason, but I liked the Taylor signing the most. While Taylor will turn 31 during this season, he still has fresh legs having only logged over 160 carries once in his career.
He can form a dynamic 1-2 punch with Matt Forte, who struggled carrying the load by himself last year. He is also a great receiver out of the backfield, which makes him a great fit in Mike Martz’s scheme.
Anquan Boldin to Fire Agent
It was reported today that Anquan Boldin will fire his agent, Drew Rosenhaus. Boldin is currently in a contract dispute with the Arizona Cardinals and wants a raise or a trade and Rosenhaus has been unable to get either accomplished. Rosenhaus is the most recognizable agent in the NFL and perhaps all of sports next to Scott Boras. Rosenhaus represents the more NFL players than every other agent including Anquan’s brother D.J., who went undrafted this past year and signed with the Detroit Lions.
Rosenhaus responded on his Twitter account by saying “Regarding Anquan Boldin, let me say that I have great respect for him. I’m hopeful we can work this out and he can return to the Rosenhaus Sports family in the near future. We are proud to continue to represent his brother, D.J. Boldin.”
Per NFLPA rules Boldin will not be able to hire a new agent until five days after filing the papers.
