Vestegnen Vets - Footballguys.com team analysis

QB: Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco
RB: Maurice Jones-Drew, DeMarco Murray, Bernard Pierce
WR: Hakeem Nicks, Vincent Brown, Greg Jennings, Emmanuel Sanders, Denarius Moore, Brandon LaFell
TE: Jason Witten, Brandon Myers
PK: Greg Zuerlein

Overview:

The quarterback position looks good, and we like your overall strength at the tradionally less important positions as well. But it has some serious issues post-draft. Your only real core strength is at quarterback, yet that's often the easiest position to fill during the season. Your weaknesses at both running back and receiver put you in a hole before any games have played. To end up with a team constructed like this, you probably did not get value on some of your selections. The players themselves are not necessarily bad --- you just might have paid more than what they were worth.

To make this team into a serious contender, you are going to need to be extremely active in trades and on the waiver wire. You esentially need to turn over significant parts of this roster. Last year running backs like Alfred Morris and Vick Ballard could be had dirt cheap at the draft. Additionally, wide receivers like James Jones and Cecil Shorts were available after a lot of the drafts. You are likely going to need to land some of this year's top waiver plays, so pay close attention to increased workloads, targets, injuries, etc.

Players we particularly like on this team include Jason Witten, Joe Flacco, Brandon LaFell, DeMarco Murray, and Emmanuel Sanders. 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 70 percent chance of making the playoffs.
With good inseason management, we think you have about a 55 percent chance of making the playoffs.
With average inseason management, we think you have a 36 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 15 of 2009:

Aaron Rodgers vs. PIT: 383 passing yards, 4 TD
Maurice Jones-Drew vs. IND: 140 combined yards, 2 TD
Joe Flacco vs. CHI: 234 passing yards, 4 TD
Greg Jennings vs. PIT: 118 receiving yards, 1 TD

QB Summary:

You don't need us to tell you this, but we'll tell you anyway: Aaron Rodgers should ensure that your production at the quarterback position is among the best in the league. We have him as the #2 QB according to your scoring rules, and we figure he gives you about a 2.0 point-per-game advantage over an average starting QB.

Joe Flacco, who we have rated as the #15 QB, is a fine backup.

Incidentally, Flacco has what we project as a good matchup (BUF) during Rodgers's bye.

RB Summary:

We like DeMarco Murray as a second RB, but we consider your starting running backs, as a group, to be a little below par. Our projections have Maurice Jones-Drew ranked at #14 and Murray ranked at #16.

We may not love Bernard Pierce at third RB, but we like the fact that you can hold the Ray Rice owner hostage.

A quick note about the same-team Murray/Jason Witten 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.

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

Some of our staffers have Maurice Jones-Drew as high as #4, which would make him an above average first running back. Jeff Tefertiller's take: "I am very high on Jones-Drew this season, even with the recent news off the field. he should be fully recovered from the foot injury and ready to produce. The Jaguars will rely on their stud back once again."

Some of our staffers have Bernard Pierce as high as #35, which would make him a fine third running back. Jeff Pasquino's take: "Bernard Pierce is one of the best up and coming young running backs in the NFL today. Were it not for Ray Rice blocking his way to starting, Pierce would be considered a far bigger fantasy prospect in both 2013 and beyond. For now, Pierce must bide his time and make the most of his limited touches until he gets a shot at free agency."

WR Summary:

We see both your starters at receiver as below average. Hakeem Nicks is our #29 ranked receiver, and we have Vincent Brown at #31.

Your bench looks good and should help offset the unexciting starting unit. Greg Jennings should be a good third receiver; he's a likely flex starter. Emmanuel Sanders should also be solidly above average at WR4. Denarius Moore should serve as a very solid fifth receiver.

Brandon LaFell is an excellent depth pick, though you may not end up using him much.

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

Some members of our staff have Hakeem Nicks ranked as high as 10th, which would make him a fine first receiver. Chad Parsons defends his high ranking as follows: "Nicks was a shell of himself when playing through injury in 2012. With a healthy start for 2013, he gets back to his difference-making ways."

Some members of our staff have Greg Jennings ranked as high as 16th, which would make him a great third receiver and even a legitimate WR2. Mark Wimer defends his high ranking as follows: "Great receiver, weak passer(s) under center - this situation reminds me of Larry Fitzgerald's during 2012, and we all know how well that turned out. At least Greg Jennings has Adrian Peterson around to keep defenses bunched up at the line, which should help Jennings produce respectable (meaning mid-#2-fantasy-wide-receiver range) numbers during 2013. Unfortunately Christian Ponder has struggled during training camp/preseason (5/12 for 53 yards passing vs. Buffalo most recently) so I think the weak quarterback play in Minnesota is going to cap Jennings' upside this year. I'm not reaching to draft Jennings in my fantasy leagues, and I don't believe I've rostered him at all this year. "

TE Summary:

As you are well aware, Jason Witten is an elite tight end. We have him ranked second overall at the position. He's about 1.7 points per game better than an average starting TE in this league. Brandon Myers is a nice backup.

Kicker Summary:

We don't think Greg Zuerlein is starter quality in this league. Keep a sharp eye on the waiver wire.