Fantasy Football News

God, I love fantasy football. That’s why this particular time of the year is so tough. Stuck in that limbo between the Super Bowl and the NFL Draft, all I’m left with are steroid scandals in baseball and another ho-hum season of the NBA.

But there’s some good news, fellow fantasy addicts! NFL teams are starting to make some offseason moves, and that provides just enough sustenance for guys like me to live on. From here on out, we’ll be updating you on all the latest fantasy football news as it hits the wire. Enjoy.

Oh, and don’t forget to check out Bodog for all your football wagering needs. You can bet that they’ll have some intriguing NFL Draft prop bets before long.

TAG, YOU’RE IT

A number of teams have been slapping franchise tags on players to prevent them from departing via free agency. Oh, they can still leave in most cases, but other teams will have to pay a steep cost to obtain their services (usually in the form of a couple of first round draft picks). Let’s take a look.

Albert Haynesworth (DL-Titans) - The Titans’ defense was a wreck when Haynesworth missed time with injuries last season. As such, they had no option but to use a franchise tag on him. He can still leave, but the Titans have the right to match any offer or receive two first-round picks as compensation.

Nnamdi Asomugha (CB-Raiders) - The Raiders have slapped him with an exclusive franchise tag. This means that no other team can negotiate with him until 2009. His salary this year will be $9.465 million, but contrarian Al Davis will reportedly be paying it out in nickels and pennies.

Corey Williams (DL-Packers)

Jordan Gross (OL-Panthers) - The one-year tender for an offensive lineman amounts to $7.45 million. That’s enough money to buy a lap dance about every two minutes for a whole year. Sweet!

Dallas Clark (TE-Colts) - The Colts placed the franchise tag on Clark, which would entitle him to $4.22 million in 2008. They then turned around and re-signed him to a six-year deal on Wednesday, February 20th.

Terrell Suggs (DL-Ravens) - This gives Suggs a one-year deal worth more than $8 million smackaroos. It should be noted, by the way, that the Ravens front office is now paying players in newly-printed smackaroos instead of actual U.S. dollars.

Jared Allen (DE-Chiefs) - Because he plays for the Chiefs, Allen gets overlooked when it comes to media attention. That’s a shame, as he led the league in sacks this year, despite missing the few several games of the season. This guy is an absolute hoss (glad I’ve got him in my dynasty league).

Marcus Trufant (CB-Seahawks)

TRADES

There haven’t been any major trades yet, but that isn’t stopping the Broncos from working the phones. They are reportedly shopping RB Travis Henry, LB Ian Gold and WR Javon Walker. Henry is due a $6 million bonus on February 29th, Walker gets $5.4 million on March 4th and Gold snags $500,000 on March 3rd.

While the Broncos could certainly avoid paying Walker the bonus if they cut him, his contract would accelerate and cost them a whopping $8 million against the cap. Taking that into consideration, and his injury-plagued 2008 campaign, it seems unlikely that Walker will be traded or cut. Expect to see him with a horse’s head on his helmet this season.

THE FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST

If players are getting traded or tagged, then you know a bunch of guys are also being kicked to the curb. Here’s a list of players who have been cut in the last month.

Bubba Franks (TE) - Formerly of the Packers, Franks was due a $500,000 roster bonus and then another $3 million once the season stared.

Trent Green (QB) - Formerly of the Dolphins, Green was one of the first casualties of the reign of new GM Bill Parcells. Expect him to land with someone else.

Zach Thomas (LB) - Another victim of Parcells, the 7-time Dolphins Pro Bowler has been shopping around the league with agent Drew Rosenhaus. The Patriots have already offered him a contract, but the two sides are still in negotiations.

The Atlanta Falcons - No, the whole team didn’t get cut, although it sorta seems like it. With Bobby “Chickenshit” Petrino gone, it’s time to start the rebuilding process. To that end, the team recently released DT Rod Coleman, LT Wayne Gandy, QB Byron Leftwich, CB Lewis Sanders, LB Marcus Wilkins, WR Jamin Elliott and TE Alge Crumpler.

Marty Booker (WR) - Another former Dolphin, the 31-year-old is getting a lot of buzz in free agent circles. He was due a total of $5.3 million this year, and there was no way in hell that Parcells was going to pay that.

Muhsin Muhammad (WR) - Cut by the Bears, the veteran wideout was scheduled to make a base salary of $1.6 million in 2008. Hopefully, that money will now be used to find a freakin’ quarterback.

For more articles on football, check out the following:

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year - Bodog Odds

2007 Fantasy Football News

Fantasy Football News