



The 2012 fantasy football off-season has begun. You have to pay close attention to everything in order to stay on top of your dynasty league. For most of us, we do well to steal some time away from our families and jobs to watch the games on Sunday. It becomes difficult to monitor the daily happenings around the league and even more demanding to process how that news affects your dynasty team.

That’s why we’re here!

Now that we’ve entered the off-season, the next few months will be filled with rumors. Much of the “news” will be speculation about the futures of individual players. While this can be important, it can also be a challenge to determine the validity of certain reports. I will included many of these reports and share my opinion about how the player’s value might be affected, for better or worse.

Here is a quick look at the events of the past week and how they impact the players on your team:

Ahmad Bradshaw, RB FA

Running back Ahmad Bradshaw made the news a couple of times this week. First, he had yet another foot surgery. Although the surgery was considered minor, it will keep Bradshaw out of action for up to ten weeks. The surgery was not a surprise, but later in the week, the Giants announced they had released the veteran running back, which did come as a surprise to many. The release of Bradshaw gives even more dynasty value to off-season darling David Wilson, who is in line to start. The value of Wilson is off the charts, but the other running backs involved in this story, Bradshaw and Andre Brown, could offer much better value for dynasty owners. Bradshaw has a very good chance of signing on as a starting running back and Brown was very impressive, when healthy, in 2012.

Brandon Weeden, QB CLE

Reports had surfaced even before the regular season ended that the Browns could consider replacing their rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden if he could not prove he deserved the job, and now Browns owner Jimmy Haslem has more bad news for Weeden and his owners. With a new owner and a new coaching staff in town, the team will have competition for the starting quarterback position. The Browns have been rumored to have interest in former 49ers starting quarterback Alex Smith and could also use an early draft pick on a rookie quarterback, though the class is considered weak overall this year. In dynasty leagues, Weeden has very little value and cannot be trusted as a QB2.

Victor Cruz, WR NYG

There were several pieces of unsettling news for Victor Cruz dynasty owners this week. First, New York Giants owners John Mara stated Cruz is simply asking for too much money. While this is not a surprise, the public comment from Mara is somewhat of a concern. Next, Cruz himself is not ruling out a training camp holdout. Holdouts almost always seem to be overblown, but can cause frustration for dynasty owners and hurt the conditioning of players. Finally, a report stated the Giants view signing wide receiver Hakeem Nicks to an extension as a greater priority than signing Cruz, who is currently a restricted free agent. None of this bodes well for Cruz, but it would be a shock for him to not be on the field for week one. If a possible holdout spooks the Cruz owner in your league, make a strong offer.

Laurent Robinson, WR JAX

More details were made public this week about the status of Jaguars wide receiver Laurent Robinson. Robinson signed with Jacksonville following a breakout season for the Cowboys, but missed much of the season due to concussions. Now, we learned he actually had four concussions last season and is still dealing with the ramifications. Robinson is said to have severe headaches and tries to avoid daylight. Robinson is also considering retirement. It’s a sad story, but dynasty owners need to be aware of how the symptoms of multiple concussions can affect players. Robinson has no dynasty value. He has yet to be selected in any of the DLF off-season mock drafts.

Editor’s Note: Tune in to DLF tomorrow to learn more about concussions – we’re unveiling a unique new series in the morning.

Ryan Broyles, WR DET

Wide receiver Ryan Broyles has already started running in a pool as part of his rehabilitation for a torn ACL. Broyles had already shown he could recover well from the injury (the same he suffered in college) and he seems to be doing it again. He places his target return date for week one. The Lions again have a need at wide receiver, so should Broyles be able to work himself all the way back, a starting spot should be his. With no reason to expect Broyles’ recovery to slow down this off-season, his dynasty value should steadily rise on the way to training camp. Now is the best time to buy.

Titus Young, WR STL

Speaking of the Lions, they waived troubled wide receiver Titus Young, who reportedly sabotaged the team by lining up incorrectly on purpose. Although there were immediate concerns about if any team would consider giving Young a second chance, the St. Louis Rams quickly claimed Young. Despite drafting multiple wide receivers over the past two years, the Rams are still lacking talent at the position. Also, wide receivers Danny Amendola, Brandon Gibson and Steve Smith are all free agents – that leaves the Rams with only Chris Givens, Austin Pettis and Brian Quick, so taking a chance on Young makes sense. Even with the signing, Young is still very cheap in dynasty leagues and is worth acquiring at a discounted price.

Lamar Miller, RB MIA

Last week, we saw reports the Miami Dolphins would likely not re-sign starting running back Reggie Bush, leaving young back Lamar Miller as the leading candidate to start. This week General manager Jeff Ireland mentioned Miller as the player he expects the most growth from next season. Based on these recent reports, Miller’s dynasty value has quickly climbed. His average draft position has already climbed fifty spots since January – that’s over four rounds in a twelve team league. Now is definitely not the best time to buy Miller. The Dolphins are likely to bring in another back and could still re-sign Bush.

Blaine Gabbert, QB JAX

The Jaguars reportedly will give struggling quarterback Blaine Gabbert one more season. It is unclear if Jacksonville is prepared to go into 2013 with Gabbert as their starter, but that would seemingly be a mistake after his poor performance the past two seasons. The Jaguars are expected to select a quarterback in the upcoming draft. Regardless of what they do, Gabbert has no dynasty value.

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