Frozenboys - Footballguys.com team analysis

QB: Cam Newton, Ben Roethlisberger
RB: David Wilson, DeAngelo Williams, Chris Ivory, Danny Woodhead, Pierre Thomas, Vick Ballard
WR: Calvin Johnson, Dez Bryant, Victor Cruz, Sidney Rice
TE: Antonio Gates
PK: Matt Bryant

Overview:

We'll start by complimenting you on your strength at quarterback and receiver. As you know, it's very difficult in a competitive league to assemble a team that is strong at QB, RB, and WR, so just about every team will have a weakness. As you probably suspect, we perceive yours to be at running back.

In 2013, that's not an instant fantasy team killer like it might have been five years ago. And in this particular case, we absolutely think you're strong enough elsewhere to overcome it. You've definitely got a good team here, but we'd feel better if we knew you were committed to keeping an eye out for the 2013 version of last season's Alfred Morris, 2010's Peyton Hillis, or 2009's Jamaal Charles.

Players we particularly like on this team include Danny Woodhead and Pierre Thomas. We have both these guys ranked ahead of where they are typically being drafted.

Bottom line:
With great inseason management, we think you have about a 85 percent chance of making the playoffs.
With good inseason management, we think you have about a 75 percent chance of making the playoffs.
With average inseason management, we think you have a 61 percent chance of making the playoffs.

In any event, we wish you the best of luck. Here's hoping all your weeks are like week 14 of 2012:

Cam Newton vs. ATL: 287 passing yards, 116 rushing yards, 3 TD
David Wilson vs. NO: 100 combined yards, 2 TD
Ben Roethlisberger vs. SD: 285 passing yards, 3 TD
Victor Cruz vs. NO: 121 receiving yards, 1 TD
DeAngelo Williams vs. ATL: 112 combined yards, 1 TD

QB Summary:

We expect Cam Newton to be a solid starter. According to our projections, he's the #5 QB, so you should be better off than most teams in the starting quarterback slot.

We're not excited about Ben Roethlisberger (our #19 QB) as a backup, but he'll probably be adequate.

Incidentally, Roethlisberger has what we project as a good matchup (MIN) during Newton's bye.

A quick note about the same-team Newton/DeAngelo Williams duo you've got here. Though the effect is probably negligible, this kind of pairing is likely to make your team more (not less) consistent than a comparable-scoring different-team pair. See this article (which was written before the 2008 season) for more discussion.

RB Summary:

We see both your starters at running back as below average. Our projections have David Wilson ranked at #24 and DeAngelo Williams ranked at #27.

Your bench looks good and should help offset the unexciting starting unit. Chris Ivory should be a good third running back.

Though some teams will probably be content to roster as few as three players here, it was not a bad idea to take a few extras because you're not particularly strong overall at the position. Of your remaining guys, we like Danny Woodhead the best, but you should keep the one you think has the best chance of putting up starter numbers. The rest might be considered expendable if you find you need roster space elsewhere.

Again, the same-team aspect of the Wilson/Victor Cruz duo does not concern us.

Note that the above "thoughts" were generated by David Dodds's projections. Others have different takes:

Some of our staffers have David Wilson as high as #15. Jeff Tefertiller's take: "The Giants have indicated that Wilson will be the starter. His explosiveness should translate into several big fantasy games this season. "

Some members of our staff have DeAngelo Williams ranked as high as 23rd, which would make him a fine second running back. Andrew Garda defends his high ranking as follows: "John Stewart is a bit banged up, which could mean more work for DeAngelo Williams who has been disappointing to say the least since signing a humungous contract a few years back. Williams should see more work whether Stewart is hurt or not, as the team tries to put quarterback Cam Newton in a better place to succeed. Expect decent numbers from Williams this year with the upside for a big season if Stewart can't shake the injury bug."

Some of our staffers have Chris Ivory as high as #24, which would make him a great third running back and even a legitimate RB2. Jeff Pasquino's take: "Chris Ivory finally got out from under the depth chart woes he could never seem to escape while in New Orleans. Now a New York Jet, Ivory is poised to become their feature tailback in 2013 and for the next several seasons. Shonn Greene, arguably a lesser talented runner, managed to finish as a fantasy RB2 last year - so Ivory clearly has RB2 value with upside in 2013."

WR Summary:

Nice work here. We like both your starting receivers, as our projections indicate that they give you a combined 6.7 point-per-game advantage over an average opponent in this league. Calvin Johnson is our first ranked WR, and we have Dez Bryant at #3.

Your bench also looks good. Tough to do better than Victor Cruz at WR3; he's a likely flex starter. Sidney Rice should be adequate at WR4.

We might suggest adding a bit more depth here. See the end of the report for some suggestions on who to pick up.

Note that the above "thoughts" were generated by David Dodds's projections. Others have different takes:

Some members of our staff have Sidney Rice ranked as high as 37th, which would make him an above average fourth receiver. Andrew Garda defends his high ranking as follows: "Sidney Rice finally had a healthy and productive season as well as a real quarterback, and now he has to take a step back for Percy Harvin. And make no mistake, it will be a severe step back. Expect Rice to be a productive third wide receiver and a hit or miss No. 2 for your fantasy teams, but don't expect another 1,000-yard season unless Harvin gets hurt--which, let's face it, isn't outside the realm of possibility. "

TE Summary:

Antonio Gates, who we have ranked #11, is below average but probably adequate as a starting tight end. You might get by with only Gates, but some additional help here probably wouldn't hurt.

Note that the above "thoughts" were generated by David Dodds's projections. Others have different takes:

Some members of our staff have Antonio Gates ranked as high as seventh, which would make him a fine first tight end. Jeff Tefertiller defends his high ranking as follows: "Gates could easily rebound in Mike McCoy's new offense. He is finally healthy and shoudl not be asked to stay in and block as much"

Kicker Summary:

Matt Bryant, our seventh ranked kicker, won't win the league for you, but he'll do.