08-Feb-2012 19:07pm
 
RealTime Fantasy Sports
Preseason News and Notes

2010-08-30 10:31:23
By JEFF PAUR
Sr Fantasy Writer
RealTime Fantasy Sports

Who will start in Arizona?

For many of you, your draft is over. Hopefully, you did well in stacking your team for the coming season. The bad news is the preseason isn't over yet, so injuries can still occur. But most teams don't play many of their top players this last preseason game. The so-called dress rehearsal for the season takes place the third preseason game. Hopefully, nothing of note takes place this last week. As for the notes from this past week, below is the latest from around the league. The season is nearing!

Texans running back Arian Foster keeps looking better and better. Not only did he have a monster preseason game this past weekend (110 yards in about a half of play), but backup Steve Slaton now has turf toe. Foster could get even more work early in the season with Slaton hurting. Foster is quickly ascending our rankings and is worthy of No. 2 back status in nearly all formats. He is the real deal in a great offense.

The quarterback situation in Arizona remains sketchy. Both guys played similarly in their last preseason game, but Derek Anderson got the starting nod, which is a decent sign he has moved ahead of Matt Leinart on the depth chart. Anderson gives the Cardinals are bigger threat for the big play, but will make more mistakes than Leinart. But Leinart is conservative and won't take a ton of chances downfield. Right now, Anderson is our quarterback to draft in Arizona but don't expect much. These guys could flip flop throughout the season.

Rookie Tim Tebow looks to be making his move at quarterback, possibly moving ahead of Brady Quinn on the Broncos depth chart. Tebow threw a terrible interception Sunday night, but also led the Broncos on an impressive scoring drive. He got time with the second unit before Quinn, who got a little playing time late in the game and didn't do much. Don't be surprised to see Tebow open as the top backup to Kyle Orton.

Who knows who will start in Pittsburgh while Ben Roethlisberger is out? Dennis Dixon had a chance to earn this spot Sunday, but had a poor showing, going 9-of-16 for 94 yards and two interceptions. Byron Leftwich got a little work and didn't complete a pass, going 0-for-4. Charlie Batch was the best of the bunch, completing 3-of-4 passes for 44 yards and a touchdown but also threw an interception. Needless to say, the Steelers should be worried about their quarterback position while Big Ben is suspended. If you had to guess, Leftwich likely gets the starts early in the year.

The Antonio Bryant era in Cincy didn't last too long. His knee continued to slow him throughout training camp, which was the factor for his release. Bryant needs to prove he is healthy, which might not happen this season. His knee remains a mess and a big concern going forward. At this point, his career is in jeopardy.

If you haven't noticed, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been really, really good this preseason. Take a look at these numbers - completing 77 percent of his passes for 470 yards and six touchdowns without an interception. And the best news is he hasn't been sacked this preseason. If he continues to get this time, his numbers are going to be astronomical this season.

The Vikings got some good news for once with receiver Percy Harvin playing in their preseason game this weekend. His migraines didn't seem to be an issue as he caught two passes for 30 yards. As long as he is healthy and playing, Harvin should be the No. 1 target in Minnesota with Sidney Rice out. Harvin could get a ton of targets, making him an intriguing risk for fantasy teams.

The good news for the Rams this weekend was rookie quarterback Sam Bradford looked great against the Patriots on Thursday. But the bad news is the Rams lost No. 1 receiver Donnie Avery for the season during the game. He tore his ACL, leaving a hole at receiver for the Rams. St. Louis wasn't too deep at receiver to begin with, making this injury a concern. Danny Amendola is a better fit for the slot but seems likely to take over his starting job left by Avery. Brandon Gibson and rookie Mardy Gilyard also should see a spike in targets.

Raiders running back Darren McFadden returned from a hamstring injury and did very little (seven carries for eight yards). While one back returned, the other back, Michael Bush, was forced from the game with a broken thumb. He will need some sort of surgery on the thumb, but still has a chance to be ready for the start of the season as he likely won't need a cast for the injury. Even with the injury, we still think Bush is the back to own in Oakland, especially with McFadden continuing to show little.

If you have any questions or comments, please email Jeff Paur at jeff@rtsports.com


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