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| The Indianapolis Star suggests that Peyton Manning is "uncertain" for the season opener after undergoing surgery on Monday to remove an infected bursa sac from his left knee. The Colts called the operation "routine" and placed a timetable of four-to-six weeks. Manning had been receiving treatment for his condition since February. |
Our View: As we noted earlier, the surgery came roughly eight weeks before the opener. The Colts aren't renowned for their timetable work (um, Marvin Harrison), but we're betting on Manning being ready to go. And, remember, we're talking about Peyton here. He could not throw a pass between now and September 7 and still probably post 300 and three against the Bears.
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| Free agent running back Kevin Jones will sign with either the Steelers or Bears on Tuesday, agent Tony Fleming tells the Tampa Tribune. |
Our View: The Steelers and Bears offer two very different scenarios. Jones will have zero fantasy value in Pittsburgh, while a move to Chicago would be intriguing. Either way, we need to remember that we're talking about a running back who tore the ACL in his right knee on December 23.
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| Peyton Manning underwent left knee surgery on Monday and had a bursa sac removed, NFL.com reports. He will need four-to-six weeks to recover. "The procedure was routine. The Colts' medical staff expects a full and complete return to action," president Bill Polian says. Colts training camp opens on July 25. |
Our View: We're eight weeks away from Week 1 of the NFL regular season. As long as Manning recovers in six weeks, we won't be worried. It's not like he needs those reps with the Colts offense to figure out what he's doing.
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| The Bengals and wide receiver Mario Urrutia reached an agreement on a four-year deal on Monday, the team's official web site reports. Financial terms were not disclosed. Urrutia was a seventh-round pick out of Louisville. |
Our View: There were talks earlier this offseason about Urrutia possibly moving to tight end. He apparently showed good potential during minicamp workouts, but it sounds like he's a project.
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| The Bengals reached an agreement on a four-year deal with tight end Matt Sherry on Monday, the team's official web site reports. Financial terms were not disclosed. Sherry was a sixth-round pick out of Villanova. |
Our View: Sherry will be well behind Reggie Kelly and Ben Utecht on the depth chart, and we don't see any fantasy value here.
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| Updating previous reports, the Fox News segment has aired, and Brett Favre has told his side of the story, the Green Bay Press Gazette reports. "I was not totally ready to commit," Favre says of his March 3 press conference. "(I) sort of left the door open. But they wanted an answer, and am I mad at them for that? No. And I think that’s what needs to be cleared up, is that, hey, you wanted an answer? I gave you the honest answer at that time." He explains that he wanted to wait until training camp to make a decision. Favre adds, "I was told that playing in Green Bay was not an option." He has not signed his retirement papers and has asked to be released. "Apparently now, they want to protect my legacy by bringing me back and having me be a backup. Boy, that, that is really good," Favre concludes. |
Our View: We're excited for another couple weeks of he said/they said between Favre and the Packers. It sounds like Aaron Rodgers will be under center for the Pack come Week 1, and Favre will have to find work elsewhere.
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| The Cowboys and safety Ken Hamlin are getting close to an agreement on a long-term contract, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. Hamlin was given the franchise tag this offseason, and the two sides have until 4:00 pm EST on Tuesday to reach an agreement. |
Our View: The Cowboys took a shot with Hamlin last year, and he turned into a Pro Bowl performer. He doesn't have much IDP value, but his signing would be excellent for the Cowboys defense.
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| The Seahawks and fullback Owen Schmitt have agreed to a four-year deal, Scout.com reports. Schmitt was a fifth-round pick out of West Virginia this past April. |
Our View: Schmitt trails Leonard Weaver on the fullback depth chart and probably won't see much action as a rookie. He is a talented lead-blocker, though, and should have a long future in the league. As happens with fullbacks, Owen has no fantasy value.
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| The Cardinals and linebacker Karlos Dansby remain "far apart" on a long-term contract, the East Valley Tribune reports. "I don’t think it’s going to happen," agent Kirk Wood says. Dansby received the franchise tag this offseason, and the two sides have until Tuesday, July 15 to work out a long-term deal. |
Our View: At this point, it doesn't sound like Dansby is a threat to hold out of camp. If that holds true, he'll retain his solid IDP value.
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| Brett Favre was interviewed by Greta Van Susteren of Fox News on Monday, and the exchange will air on Monday night. Among the details already leaked, Favre says he doesn't want to be a backup to Aaron Rodgers and that he felt pressured to make a decision about his retirement, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. |
Our View: The saga continues. Fantasy leaguers can only sit back and wait to see what happens in the coming weeks. It seems more and more likely that Favre will indeed return, but probably not for the Packers.
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| Ahmad Bradshaw has completed his 30-day jail sentence, the New York Daily News reports. The running back served time in the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail due to a probation violation. The original crime occurred when Bradshaw was a minor, and there are no details about the violation, although various sources say it happened before Bradshaw joined the Giants. The NFL is reviewing the case. |
Our View: The Giants knew that Bradshaw carried bad baggage, and they may have known about all of this stuff before they drafted him. Ahmad could face a fine or suspension by the NFL, but it shouldn't hurt his low fantasy stock too much.
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| The Lions are interested in potentially acquiring Chris Simms, Pro Football Weekly notes. The Cowboys and Bears are other suitors. The Bucs are expected to attempt to trade Simms, and the team may ask for a first-day draft pick. |
Our View: Nobody is going to give the Bucs a first or second-round choice for Simms. They'll be fortunate to land a fifth-rounder. Anyway, this report suggests the Lions may not be enamored with Dan Orlovsky and Drew Stanton.
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| The Bengals have agreed to a four-year deal with defensive tackle Jason Shirley, Pro Football Weekly reports. Shirley was a fifth-round pick out of Fresno State. |
Our View: Shirley is a good fit for the Bengals, as he carries character baggage. He played only three games as a senior because of three off-field incidents. Nice.
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| Colt Brennan has agreed to terms with the Redskins on a rookie contract, the AP reports. Those terms were not disclosed. Brennan was a sixth-round pick out of Hawaii. |
Our View: Brennan is coming off an illustrious college career, and we'd expect him to win the No. 3 job behind Jason Campbell and Todd Collins. If all goes well, he could unseat Collins in 2009 or 2010.
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| The Lions signed Cliff Avril to a three-year deal on Monday, the AP reports. Avril was a third-round pick this past April. |
Our View: Avril played both outside linebacker and defensive end at Purdue, and he is expected to line up at left end for the Lions. We don't foresee much IDP value.
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