Latest Musings From The Nerd

Tis the season for drafts and you guys have created more Draft Buddies than I had anticipated. I hope you're finding it useful. It's awfully tough to have a great season if you've had a bad draft.



Now on to the rankings:

It's been incredibly interesting to watch the movers and shakers over the past few weeks. Favre went from #1000 to #88 overall and #14 within the QB's. Ronnie Brown took a bit of a hit with Ricky Williams in the picture.



Steven Jackson's rankings haven't changed even though he's been a holdout for weeks. Just a few minutes ago I learned that Jackson will be reporting to camp on Thursday. That's good news for fantasy owners, but really, who had any doubts? The best hope is that he's able to get up to speed in short order as he's already missed two preseason games and a lot of training camp.



Plaxico finally suited up but his rankings haven't changed much. He's still rated #11 among the WR's and will probably move up a few spots in the overall rankings within the next few days. I'm not a doctor, but I'm guessing that the injury wasn't the only reason keeping him out. Contract issues have a tendency to cause mental injury.



Plaxico and Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin may have drank from the same kool-aid. Boldin has asked to be traded noting that he has a relationship with coach Ken Whisenhunt that can't be saved. Again - contract issues. Boldin's Nerd Ranking among WR's hasn't changed at #14.



Falcons RB Michael Turner was IMPRESSIVE during last weekend's game against the Colts. 4 rushes for 113 yards is remarkable, particularly for a completely un-remarkable team. He's positioned at a very respectable #19 among all RB's.



Another guy who looked great this past weekend was Calvin Johnson. 3 receptions for 76 yards and a TD. I would not hesitate to make Johnson my WR2.



Are You Hurt or Are You Injured?

Chad Johnson strained his left shoulder during the loss to the Lions this past weekend. This could not be what he had in mind when interviewed on the sidelines of the Green Bay game the week before. For a guy like Johnson, I wouldn't expect to see him play during any more pre-season games, but would expect him to suit up for the regular season. Remember, this guy's going to the HOF in 20XX.



T.J. Houshmandzadeh has missed both pre-season games with that nagging hamstring injury. Here's a guy that you've got to keep an eye one, because he's arguably the best receiver in Cincy (and yes I'd be happy to have that debate) particularly if you're in a PPR league. Chris Henry has been brought back up (after his 4 game suspension) to help fill out the WR corp. Carson Palmer is going to throw and the Bengals need a healthy receiving corp to catch all those balls.



My Philly sandwich got a little colder with the news that Kevin Curtis will undergo surgery tomorrow to repair a sports hernia. Curtis is definitely out for the beginning of the season and his fantasy value will be in question IF he returns during the season. There's been no estimate given yet, but a fantasy owner need look no further than two of his teammates. McNabb and Smith have both had a sports hernia and returned to have a mediocre season. I have to believe that Curtis's #28 Nerd Ranking will drop faster than my IQ level after watching Paris Hilton's political ad. While Curtis and Brown work through their respective injuries, Greg Lewis, Hank Baskett, and DeSean Jackson have an opportunity to show they belong in the NFL.



The Vikings announced that Tarvaris Jackson sprained his knee (actually it's his medial collateral knee ligament if you really care to know) during the Ravens game. The team downplayed the impact and I have no reason to doubt it. He'll be taking the snaps during the regular season.



While not an injury, it's gotta hurt for veteran receiver Joe Horn of Atlanta. Horn was released yesterday. No word on whether or not he'll play somewhere else or retire a Falcon. We wish him luck in whatever he decides to do.

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