Sleeper Alert! Chris Johnson

I did on post about a month ago on rookie runnings backs and their fantasy value this season. If you go back and take a look, you can see I have a high opinion of Tennessee Titans back Chris Johnson. If you've watched him at all in the first 2 preseason games, it's obvious why I like him so much. In his debut versus the Rams, Johnson had 6 carries for 77 yards and a touchdown (the touchdown was a 66 yarder by the way). He also added 1 catch for 13 yds. Last night against the Raiders, he carried the ball 8 times for 46 yards and showed great burst. He and Lendale White will make a nice tandem for a Titans team that will run the ball a lot this season.

Fantasy Impact: The Titans running back situation should be looked at a lot like the Saints backs were in 2006. White will get the lion's share of the goal line carries but Chris Johnson will be used a lot. Unlike Bush though, Johnson can run between the tackles effectively and could see the ball inside the 5. Even if he doesn't, Johnson was the fastest player at the combine and he will break a run or two this season. In yardage leagues, Johnson could be seen as a # 3 back. In TD leagues, I take him as my # 4. Lendale White should be looked at somewhere between a # 2 and # 3 back. He will get 8-10 touchdowns, but his yardage will suffer due to the presence of Johnson.

Edwards shines, Stewart off to slow start

Couple things of note from last nights games...Bills QB Trent Edwards was outstanding against the Steelers completing 9 of 11 for 104 yards and 2 scores (both to tight end Robert Royal). The Bills are hoping Edwards makes a big jump in his 2nd season.

The results were not so good though for Panthers rookie runner Jonathan Stewart. Playing with the Panthers 2nd team (against the Eagles 2nd team D), Stewart only gained 3 yards on 4 carries. Remember, Stewart is coming off a toe injury. Also, Deangelo Williams had his second strong game in a row, gaining 32 yards on 8 carries (although 23 yards of that did come on 1 carry). Stewart may have to ease his way into the Panthers running attack.

Fantasy Impact: Edwards is a young QB and will have his ups and downs this season. Considering how thin the QB position is though, he may be worth a look for you as a # 2 QB. He is not worth drafting until the final few rounds but he could be a decent bye week play depending on the match up.

The Stewart situation worries me a little. I still think Stewart will be a force at some point this season but it may take him a while to find his groove. That could mean that Williams will get the bulk of the carries to start the season. I would not draft Stewart as anything more than a # 3 back right now.

Looks to be J.T. O'Sullivan for the Niners

News out of 49ers camp is that J.T. O'Sullivan is getting all of the first team reps with the team. While head coach Mike Nolan has not made an announcement, it appears "JTO" will start the 2nd preseason game against the Packers. Barring an awful performance, you can assume he will start the season as the Niners QB as well. What does this mean for Alex Smith and Shaun Hill? Well Smith has been working with the 2nd team while Hill is quickly becoming an after thought. The reason Smith is said to be working behind "JTO" is that he does not have full grasp of the offense yet. Smith could still move ahead in the competition between now and the season opener.

Fantasy Impact: Is it me or does Mike Nolan appear to be clueless? Whoeover the Niners QB is, do not draft him. Mike Martz or not, the situation looks like there could be a QB carousel in San Francisco. Keep an eye on what happens and if one of the QB's takes off, they could be a nice waiver wire pickup.

Aaron Rodgers looks sharp

Maybe the Packers know what they're doing after all. Aaron Rodgers looked impressive in Green Bay's opener, going 9 of 15 for 117 yards and a touchdown in about a quarter and a half. Rodgers did throw an interception but it may have been on one of his best passes of the night. With the pocket collapsing, Rodgers stepped up and fired a bullet to Donald Driver. The ball was perfectly placed but bounced off of Driver into the arms of the Bengals.

Fantasy Impact: Aaron Rodgers is my boom or bust pick for 2008. Personally, I think he will have a tremendous year. Mike McCarthy runs a very QB friendly offense and he will put Rodgers in a position to succeed. Combine that with the fact that the Packers have weapons every where you look, there is no reason Rodgers can't put up 20scores this year. He is a sure fire # 2, and maybe even a low end # 1 depending on how he looks the rest of the preseason.

Seahawks lose Bobby Engram for 6-8 weeks

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Bobby Engram will miss the next 6-8 weeks after cracking a bone in his shoulder during the 'Hawks first preseason game. Engram had the best season of his 12 year career in 2007. He caught 94 balls for 1147 yards and 6 td's. This is a huge blow to a Seattle wide receiver corps that is already without Deion Branch. Mike Holmgen said that 2nd year widout Courtney Taylor will get the first chance to step in and start.

Fantasy Impact: Wow! Things are not looking good in Seattle for Matt Hasselbeck. We liked Engram as a number 3 WR this season but now would not draft him. He's not worth waiting for. This is big news for Hasselback owners. I still think he will put up decent numbers because of the system he plays in, but Nate Burleson and Courtney Taylor aren't exactly Jerry Rice and John Taylor. Hasselbeck is still worth a shot as your # 1 QB if you can get him in the middle rounds, but you may want to jump on a David Gerrard or Eli Manning to cover your butt.

W. McGahee to have knee surgery

Willis McGahee is scheduled to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery potentially as early as today. The procedure is supposedly a "clean up" procedure. He's expected to miss a month which pretty much means that he will be out of the pre-season games and could be ready for opening day.

To be honest, I'm not a big fan of McGahee to begin with. I think the Baltimore offense is weak, they don't have a proven QB and defenses will stack the line to stop McGahee. McGahee may be ready for the first week of the season with the knee injury, however, you have to imagine that he be extremely rusty when he gets back due to the fact that he will not take any reps in the pre-season and his conditioning will be behind. Overall, I would'nt touch McGahee until the 4th round this year and even then would be apprehensive to take him given the potential to re-injure the knee. Ray Rice is now a player that you must take in the draft if you take McGahee.

Matt Ryan impressive in preseason debut

When the Atlanta Falcons drafted Matt Ryan with the 3rd pick in the 2008 draft, they hoped that they had found their franchise quarterback. If Saturday night was any indication, they may have. Ryan completed 9 of 15 passes against the Jaguars for 115 yards and a 25 yard touchdown pass to Roddy White. Ryan relieved Chris Redman after 2 series because the coaches wanted him to get reps against Jacksonville's first team defense.

Fantasy Impact: I know, I know, it's only preseason. There are two things to look at here though. If Ryan continues to play like this he will be the starter in Atlanta sooner that later. He will take his bumps but may start to put up some numbers towards the end of the season. I wouldn't draft Ryan unless you can take a flyer on him in late rounds, but keep an eye on his development throughout the season if he is on the waiver wire. You should also consider what this could mean for Roddy White. White caught 83 passes for 1202 yards and 6 scores last season with Redman, Joey Harrington, and Byron Leftwich throwing him the ball. If he and Ryan develop an early connection, White could continue to blossom. He could be a steal as your 3rd wide receiver.

Ryan Grant has injured hamstring

Ryan Grant is looking more and more like a player who could disappoint this season. First he missed time in camp due to a contract dispute and now he has injured his hamstring. Reports are saying that the injury is minor but Grant will most likely not play in the teams preseason opener Monday night against the Bengals.

Fantasy Impact: Grant continues to look like a player with red flags all over him. If he continues to miss practice time it will increase the odds of him starting out slowly this season. To me, Grant is a 3rd round pick and no better than a 2nd running back despite the fantasy prowess he showed at the end of last season.