Copenhagen Juden - Footballguys.com team analysis

QB: Tony Romo
RB: LeSean McCoy, Matt Forte, Ahmad Bradshaw, Fred Jackson, Shonn Greene
WR: Antonio Brown, Wes Welker, Mike Williams, Alshon Jeffery, Nate Washington
TE: Tony Gonzalez, Brandon Pettigrew
PK: Josh Brown

Overview:

Let's start by remarking that we appreciate your old-school leanings: you have a team marked by strength at the running back position. Because the position is so sought after, a team constructed like this usually has a chance to make the playoffs. Your strength at tight end is also a plus, but with the quarterback and wide receiver both being less strong, you may need to do something to change the outlook of this team. Your deficiencies are likely to show themselves through the bye weeks, so try to manuever early in improving the quarterback and/or receiver positions before week four.

Keep an eye out for quarterbacks like Russell Wilson and Andrew Luck from last year, Cam Newton the year before, Michael Vick and Josh Freeman in 2010, and Matt Cassel and Kurt Warner in 2008. All were available cheap in August, and all contributed to fantasy championship teams. Similarly, wide receivers like James Jones and Cecil Shorts were available after a lot of the drafts. Landing some of this year's top waiver players would be a huge help, so pay close attention to increased workloads, targets, injuries, etc.

Players we particularly like on this team include Nate Washington, LeSean McCoy, and Matt Forte. We have all these guys ranked ahead of where they are typically being drafted.

Bottom line:
With great inseason management, we think you have about a 75 percent chance of making the playoffs.
With good inseason management, we think you have about a 65 percent chance of making the playoffs.
With average inseason management, we think you have a 50 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 2011:

Shonn Greene vs. KC: 187 combined yards, 1 TD
Antonio Brown vs. CLE: 151 receiving yards, 1 TD
Tony Romo vs. NYG: 321 passing yards, 4 TD
LeSean McCoy vs. MIA: 71 combined yards, 2 TD
Nate Washington vs. NO: 130 receiving yards, 1 TD

QB Summary:

We have Tony Romo rated #8 among quarterbacks, which makes him a viable starter if not an exciting one. We strongly recommend that you add a backup QB (we'll make some specific suggestions at the end of the report).

RB Summary:

Nice work here. We like both your starting running backs, as our projections indicate that they give you a combined 3.5 point-per-game advantage over an average opponent in this league. Our projections have LeSean McCoy ranked at #6 and Matt Forte ranked ninth.

Your bench also looks good. Ahmad Bradshaw should serve as a very solid third running back.

Since you're strong at the position, you probably don't absolutely need to roster more than three players here. Of your remaining guys, we like Fred Jackson 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.

WR Summary:

We see both your starters at receiver as below average. Antonio Brown is our 16th ranked WR, and we have Wes Welker at #24.

We see Mike Williams as an average third receiver; he's a likely flex starter. Alshon Jeffery is also a fair-to-middlin' fourth receiver. Nate Washington should serve as a very solid fifth receiver.

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

Antonio Brown is ranked #10 by some of our writers, which would make him a fine first receiver. Matt Waldman reasons, "With Heath Miller still recovering from injury it's possible we'll see even more targets Brown's way. I have Brown knocking on elite PPR territory in this offense now that Mike Wallace flew south. In fact, he's not much lower in non-PPR. I think the rapport he has with Roethlisberger, and his versatility makes him similar to Victor Cruz in terms of making plays anywhere on the field. I encourage you to go with safer options like Andre Johnson, Roddy White, and/or Percy Harvin first, but don't be surprised if you take Brown as your No.2 and get No.1 production. "

Some of our staffers have Wes Welker as high as #10, which would make him a great second receiver and even a legitimate WR1. Jeff Haseley's take: "Remember how good Peyton Manning made Austin Collie in the first half of the 2010 season? He'll utilize Wes Welker in the same manner. Reception totals should reach 90 with plenty of opportunities for touchdowns in Denver's offense."

Some members of our staff have Mike Williams ranked as high as 16th, which would make him a great third receiver and even a legitimate WR2. Heath Cummings defends his high ranking as follows: "If you're looking for the outlier of the Footballguys WR rankings, here it is. Maybe I'm too easily dismissing Williams' 2011 but I see a young, talented receiver on a really good, and improving, offense. If I had to bet on a receiver posting career numbers in 2013, Williams would be the one. As for the concerns about Vincent Jackson being the true #1 in Tampa Bay, Jackson got off to a very hot start but from week eight on, Williams was the Bucs top receiver in fantasy points. I see 1100 yards and double digit TDs in the 4th year receiver's future."

Some members of our staff have Alshon Jeffery ranked as high as 39th, which would make him an above average fourth receiver. Chad Parsons defends his high ranking as follows: "Jeffery showed good hands and a knack for making plays downfield in ten games as a rookie in 2012. He should see advantageous coverage opposite of Brandon Marshall, but how many targets will he see and can Jay Cutler support multiple receivers? Those questions keep Jeffery as an upside play in the WR4/5 range."

TE Summary:

We like the choice of Tony Gonzalez to start at tight end. We have him ranked fourth overall at the position. He's about 0.6 points per game better than an average starting TE in this league. Brandon Pettigrew is a nice backup.

Kicker Summary:

Josh Brown, our eighth ranked kicker, won't win the league for you, but he'll do.