Bears Blitz

Published by Scott Pashley on December 29, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

There are certainly more than five questions to be answered.  We won’t get to all of the questions in this article, but we will get to them in short order.  Visit FFSpin.com and sign up for our free off season newsletter and podcast  Right now we take a look at five of the most pressing questions and give you our Fantasy Football Spin…

Will the Panthers draft a QB at #1?

The Panthers are a mess – that my friend is how you get the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.  There are already rumors that Andrew Luck is considering staying in school rather than having to play for the lowly Carolina Panthers.  We know that John Fox is gone and there will be a completely new regime in Carolina.  Assuming Luck does enter the 2011 NFL draft, that new regime will have a decision to make; give Clausen a chance or take Andrew Luck with the first pick. 

We think Carolina will give Clausen a chance.  The Panthers are in a unique position where the first pick should be valued significantly higher in 2011 than it has in recent years.  The reason – a rookie cap.  The owners are going to push hard for a rookie salary cap in the new CBA.  The Panthers have a frightening number of holes to fill and someone will probably overwhelm them with a mega offer for Luck.  The Bengals, Cardinals, Bills, 49ers and Redskins are all franchises that should be on the lookout for a franchise QB.

Whether it is Andrew Luck or Jimmy Clausen under center, Steve Smith and the other Panther’s wide receivers are in trouble next year.  Steve Smith’s value is so low at this point that you are unlikely to get very much, if anything, for him, but you have to try – or consider cutting him loose from your keeper or dynasty roster.

Where will Carson Palmer Play?

The Bengals need to blow this thing up.  The Bengals organization has assembled a group of underachievers, punks, divas, and criminals.  Palmer has not been the same since he began to suffer injuries and his best hope of recapturing his glory is a change of scenery.  Fortunately, there is one owner who Palmer, his agent,and the Bengals can always count on to go after overpaid, over the hill big names.  Daniel Snyder.  That is why we think Carson Palmer will call Washington home. 

McNabb fits the bill of overrated, over the hill and over paid, but his days as a Redskins appear to be over.  Congratulations for the Philadelphia Eagles for pulling the wool over the eyes of that national media and the Washington Redskins.  Now, it’s the Bengals turn to take advantage of the Redskins poor personnel decisions. 

Carson Palmer is a QB#2 in Washington. 

Other franchises with interest might include Arizona, Buffalo, Seattle, San Francisco, Cleveland and Carolina.

Where will Donovan McNabb Play?

Philadelphia fans have long wondered what the rest of NFL fans and national media see in McNabb.  Maybe they understood what McNabb was because they got to see him fail to ever lead his team from behind late in games.  They bore witness to McNabb’s inability to hit a receiver in stride or throw anything but rockets, even at a receiver who was four feet away.  Eagle’s fans, and now Redskins fans, know that McNabb is more likely to throw the ball at shoelaces than hands.  Who’s loyal fans will be the next to learn the lesson?

We think the Minnesota Vikings make the most sense.  The Cardinals also make sense, but they have repeatedly denied any interested in the most over hyped QB of the last decade.  As a Viking, McNabb could do some damage.  They have an excellent array of weapons.  Adrian Peterson is arguably the best running back in the game and the combination of Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin provide a dynamic duo that to match what he had in Philadelphia with Desean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. 

McNabb would be a top 10 fantasy QB in Minnesota.  He would still blow every big game, but who’s talking about real football?  With that cast he will produce numbers by default. 

Other teams that may kick the tires on McNabb include the Bills, Browns, Panthers, 49ers and Raiders.

Is Sam Bradford a #1 QB in 2011?

Sam Bradford has been flat out impressive as a rookie.  Stats are what we care about in fantasy football, but looking beyond the stats for a moment, Bradford seems to have it all.  He is leading a bad team a division championship, has displayed incredible poise and composure, and has all the intangibles to go with all the physical tools.  That said, he is a borderline QB#1 in 2011; a guy that you can pair with another decent QB and play matchups.  The one caveat to that would be the arrival of a big time receiver.   Should a playmaker like Vincent Jackson arrive in St. Louis to be paired with a good possession receiver like Danny Amendola and a flashy young talent like Danario Alexander, Bradford would go from having an adequate cast of characters to a complete and fairly deep crew of pass catchers.

Bradford should finish 2010 with 30 TDs and 3,500 yards.  He is unlikely to regress, although that is not uncommon for sophomore QBs in a league where defensive coordinators have footage and time to plan, but without a true number one target he is not going to make a big leap in numbers.

As we mentioned earlier, we see Bradford as a guy that you can get later in drafts and platoon with another QB to produce pretty good numbers over the course of the season. 

Which QB will make the biggest leap in rank for 2011?

The answer may surprise you.  Check it out here.  

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