Fantasy Preview: NFC East

E-mail Sam

Follow Sam on Twitter

Is Michael Vick the clear-cut No. 1 fantasy QB in 2011?

Dallas Cowboys

Garrett, an offensive guru, demonstrated why Jerry Jones viewed him as a future head coach in the National Football League, helping a Jon Kitna-led squad to the seventh highest scoring team in the league, averaging over 360 yards per game. Now insert Romo into the mix. Since 2006, Romo has completed more than 60 percent of his passes, and since becoming a full-fledge starter in 2007 has averaged 4,000 yards through the air and nearly 30 touchdowns.

Romo’s best season came in 2009 during the emergence of wideout Miles Austin. He has always had a solid No. 1 WR to throw to (Terrell Owens included), but now has the combination of Austin and second-year stud Dez Bryant, not to mention Jason Witten and Felix Jones, a palpable option out of the backfield.

When healthy, Romo finishes among the top 10 fantasy quarterbacks. While I wouldn’t expect him to finish in the top tier – Michael Vick, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady or Peyton Manning – Romo could easily match stats withDrew Brees or Philip Rivers.

His weapons – Austin and Bryant – are one of the few duos in the league that both can be considered WR1 on the same team. Austin seemed to disappoint owners in 2010 after a breakout campaign the year prior, but aside from a drop in touchdowns (11 to seven) Austin still managed over 1,000 yards and averaged more than four receptions per game.

Kitna seemed more comfortable throwing to Bryant and Witten; he did not target Austin until Bryant was lost for the year. Romo has developed a comfort playing with Austin, and opposing defenses are going to have to target either him or Bryant. He’s in store for another huge year.

On the other side, Bryant is also likely to surpass the 1,000-yard mark. His superior athleticism and downfield speed, though, makes him more prone to making the big play. In 12 games Bryant had six touchdowns; he could be more of a threat in touchdown-heavy leagues, finishing the season with eight to 10 scores.

New York Giants

The G-Men resigned feature-back Ahmad Bradshaw, but other than that deserve an F for their free agency performance. The team lost tight end Kevin Boss, slot receiver Steve Smith and most of their starting offensive linemen. This means there will be a lot of younger players getting opportunities for snaps.

Smith fled New York to join the rival Eagles, opening the slot role for either Victor Cruz or Dominik Hixon. Cruz, according to offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride and general manager Jerry Reese, is the likely successor to Smith. During the 2010 preseason, Cruz caught 15 balls for nearly 300 yards and four scores, but injuries and derailed any hopes of getting action in the regular season. Cruz has WR3 upside if he solidifies a spot in the starting lineup this year.

As Boss signed with Oakland Raiders this offseason, third-year tight end Travis Beckum will get the nod as the starter. Beckum’s an unproven commodity, with just 21 career receptions for 171 yards. In three years starting for the Giants, Boss averaged around 500 yards and five touchdowns; expect Beckum – who is more athletic than Boss – to produce similar numbers as a red zone target for Eli Manning.

The wide receiver carousel leaves Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham as the starting wideouts. Nicks, considered a top-five talent in some rankings, definitely has that sort of upside, especially after a 1,000-yard, 11-touchdown season in 2010. He may be the most under-the-radar top 10 wide receiver this year.

Manningham established himself last season as a legitimate NFL receiver. His nine touchdowns and 944 receiving yards are easily overlooked, as his finished in the top 20 for his position. He also had the longest reception last year. He could be a late-round steal as well.

Philadelphia Eagles

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room – is Vick the No. 1 fantasy quarterback?

There are so many different perspectives on this: Does his proneness to injury affect his draft stock? Will he play in all 16 games this year? Are we overrating his 2010 statistics?

Here’s my view: Vick is such a threat, as a quarterback and running back, that even if he were to miss a handful of games, the numbers he will post will still be worth it for the games he does play in. and based on last season, if he were to stay healthy for all 16 games, his final season statistics would look like: 4,000 passing yards, 900 rushing yards and 40 total touchdowns. In other words, dominance.

If you’re in an eight-team league, or a 10-team league, it is still possible to find a capable fill-in for Vick if he were to miss time due to injury. There’s also his back-up, Vince Young, who could easily throw for touchdowns and run one in himself with the talent he’s surrounded with in Philly. In Tennessee, Young had Chris Johnson, but dealt with receivers like Justin Gage and Roydell Williams.

As for the rest of the Eagles, there’s no risk in drafting DeSean Jackson, who, every year is overlooked because he’s simply a big-play threat. He may only catch three to four passes per game, but he averaged 75 yards 7.5 touchdowns the past two years, while finishing with more than 1,000 yards. In leagues where 40-plus-yard touchdowns are rewards, Jackson’s a steal. But if you’re looking for PPR value, Jackson should be passed on.

Injury concerns are definitely understood with Jeremy Maclin, who is supposed to become the Eagles’ possession receiver this season. No one understands what’s going on with Maclin, but head coach Andy Reid said he was optimistic he’d be ready for Week 1.

Maclin improved drastically from year one to year two, increasing receptions, yardage total and touchdowns. He doesn’t have the prototypical makeup of a possession receiver (i.e. Andre Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald), but with Jackson a threat to go deep every play, Maclin has the opportunity to catch the short and intermediate routes.

If Maclin is not healthy, expect Smith to assume his role when healthy. Second-year receiver Riley Cooper and slot man Jason Avant are also candidates for more catches if Maclin is not on the field, as well as Brent Celek and running back LeSean McCoy.

As for McCoy, don’t expect too much of a downgrade with the addition of Ronnie Brown. Although it could be argued Brown was brought in for goal-line duties, he’s not expected to be a major threat to McCoy’s workload. In the red zone, expect McCoy, Celek and Vick himself to be the primary targets.

Washington Redskins

Want to talk fantasy quarterbacks? Then I suggest we stay away from the Washington Redskins. The quarterback competition between Rex Grossman and John Beck is laughable, but you would have to expect that given his skill-set and his preseason performance thus far that Mike Shanahan would opt for the experienced Grossman this year. It will bring him that much closer to drafting Andrew Luck in April.

Shanahan prefers quarterbacks who can utilize the rollout effectively (i.e. Jake Plummer, Jay Cutler), which Grossman can actually do. At least Grossman, despite the doubters in Chicago in 2006, helped the Bears all the way to the Super Bowl. That season, he threw for just under 3,200 yards and 23 touchdowns, in addition to his 20 picks.

Fortunately, with a Shanahan offense comes a solid running game. It’s also a guessing game. The incumbent,Ryan Torain, is in the midst of competition with Tim Hightower, who the team traded for from the Arizona Cardinals. Torain, often injured, racked up 742 yards in 10 games last season, averaging 4.5 yards per carry. Hightower, who lost his job to first-round selection Beanie Wells, averaged 4.8 yards per carry in 2010, but managed 736 yards and five touchdowns in split duties.

Hightower will presumably be the starter, considering the Skins traded for him after already having Torain andKeiland Williams, and drafting Roy Helu from Nebraska and Evan Royster from Penn State. Like his M.O. with the Denver Broncos, the crowded backfield will be a week-to-week adventure for fantasy owners, so it’s suggested to draft cautiously. Many experts predict Helu will finish the season as the team’s starter, but with this much depth that’s hardly a lock.

The Skins bolstered their wide receiving corps with free agent Donte Stallworth and third-round draft choiceLeonard Hankerson from Miami (FL). Santana Moss is still the No. 1 wide receiver, though he barely possesses WR2 value. He should be drafted as a WR3, as he’s on his last legs on a really shaky offense.

Jabar Gaffney, who the Skins traded for from Denver, put together an 875-yard, two-touchdown season in 2010, his best season as a pro. He doesn’t have too much upside either. Anthony Armstrong, who finished second in receiving yards and touchdowns last year in D.C., likely has the most upside, and could surpass Gaffney on the depth chart at some point this season. Hankerson and Stallworth are long shots to have an impact this season.

The Man Behind the NFC's Best

A lot has been said about the mediocrity abundant in the NFC this season. The favorites -- the Cowboys, the Vikings, the Super Bowl champion New Orleans saints -- have all floundered.

flickr.com

The Dallas Cowboys recently ousted their head coach after nine weeks, the first time they had ever fired a coach mid-season in their history. After being favored as a Super Bowl contender, the team is off to just a 1-7 start. Their offensive woes are almost as glaring as their defensive struggles. They can't score and they can't stop anybody -- that sounds like a winning formula.

Then there was the Minnesota Vikings. With Brett Favre back for another rendezvous, the team looked forward to another explosive offensive to go along with their always dominant defensive attack. But after a series of sext messages, broken shoulders, chins, ankles, hips, a Randy Moss trade, a Randy Moss release and a campaign to fire the head coach, the 2010 version of the Purple People Eaters are looking up at their arch nemesis the Green Bay Packers and Da Bears in the NFC North.

And finally there was America's sweethearts. After capturing the attention of fans across the country with their Cinderella story, the New Orleans lost games to the Atlanta Falcons, the Arizona Cardinals and the Cleveland Browns? So much for the Super Bowl hangover; losing to the Colt McCoy-led Browns is more like a blackout.

But it was a traditional NFC superpower that reemerged in 2010, led by their traditionally tenacious defense to bring them top to the top of the conference. You know who I'm talking about...G-G-G-G-G-Men!

The New York Football Giants have risen to the top of NFC, led by their defensive prowess. No, they did not sign any superstars in the offseason. They didn't drive a phenom in the draft to start right away. What they did was find an underrated defensive mind to put together the pieces of the puzzle left behind by Tom Coughlin's defensive coordinator in 2009, Bill Sheridan.

Perry Fewell was hired in January to take over the Giants defense after a pathetic campaign last season. Fewell was a candidate for the Buffalo Bills head coaching gig after leading the team to a 3-4 finish after serving as the interim manager following the firing of Dick Jauron.

nj.com

As a head coach for seven weeks, Fewell lifted a talent-lacking Bills team to wins over Miami, Kansas and Indianapolis, who was really sporting their second team. However, in their four losses, they faced off against a resurgent Titans squad led by Vince Young and 2,000-yard rusher Chris Johnson, and two playoff teams in the Jets and Patriots, losing by a combined 13 points.

Fewell's defensive strategy dates back to being a defensive back coach with the Chicago Bears in 2004 and 2005 and piloting the defense in Buffalo for four seasons. But after the Bills went in another direction and opted to hire Chan Gailey to replace him as head coach, the G-Men saw a diamond in the rough, and quickly they snatched him up.

Coughlin and Fewell had a history from their time together in Jacksonville, so he must have had confidence his disciple could clean up the mess that was the 2009 Giants defense.

A rash of injuries plagued the team that season: Defensive lineman Chris Canty was signed from the Cowboys after totaling 10 sacks in four seasons in Dallas. Linebacker Michael Boley was signed from the Falcons after a 330-tackle, six-sack, five-interception stint. First-round draft pick safety Kenny Phillips dealt with a knee injury, while defensive quarterback Antonio Pierce was sidelined with a bulging disk in his neck.

Meanwhile, the Giants were forced to move cornerback Aaron Ross into multiple positions in the secondary, while former standout Osi Umenyiora was close to being released due to a lack of production. Justin Tuck, who emerged in 2007 with 10 sacks and two forced fumbles, and who improved in 2008, played through a torn labrum in his shoulder last year as well.

With a healthy unit and a new leader, the G-Men defense now sports the best defense in all the NFL, allowing just over 250 yards per game. New York gives up less than 14 first downs per game and allows its opponents to convert on third down 29 percent of the time. They rank number one in forced fumbles with 16, and are tied for fifth in sacks (24) and tied for ninth in interceptions (9). The team has allowed just four scores on the ground and one rush over 40 yards, as their rushing defense is second only to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

So before we point to $60 million dollar man Eli Manning the reason for the Giants turnaround, let's not look to what the Giants have prided themselves on for the better part of their history. And while health is a main factor, it is important to recognize the man pulling all the strings behind the curtain.