Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

It’s going to be weird to not see No. 5 under center on opening day for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2010. It’s the dawning of a new era in the city of brotherly love. Donovan McNabb won’t be forgotten any time soon as he will see the Eagles twice since he is now the quarterback for the Washington Redskins. Not only is Philadelphia’s long-time quatertback gone, so is the standout running back Brian Westbrook. There’s a reason why the Eagles would let both McNabb and Westbrook leave. Westbrook’s time as an elite running back is gone, and now, he’d be lucky to just be helpful to some other team. McNabb’s best years are behind him, and the Eagles obviously liked Kevin Kolb enough for him to take the helm to lead this new crop of stars the Eagles have now. The times they are a-changing in Philly.

There are still some familiar faces that fantasy football owners will recognize on draft day. Up-and-coming stars like DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and Brent Celek will be receiving passes from Kolb in 2010. Running back LeSean McCoy has some big shoes to fill in the backfield, but he’ll get his fair share of carries,  making him one of 2010’s more interesting fantasy players. The NFC East is one of the toughest divisions in the NFL, but those defenses gave up a lot of fantasy points in 2009, making the future bright for the Eagles’ 2010 stars

KEY ADDITIONS

Mike Bell (RB) – In this day and age, it’s pretty rare to see a running back getting the full 100 percent workload. When Philadelphia decided to let Westbrook go, everybody had to know that they were going to sign somebody to help out McCoy. With that said, Mike Bell shouldn’t be any threat to becoming a true handcuff to McCoy; however, he very well may have the same role that he did last year on the New Orleans Saints, which was vulturing goaline touchdowns. McCoy is a lot like Westbrook, but he’s not as big as the veteran, which means we could see a lot of Bell when McCoy fantasy football owners want to see him the least.

Ernie Sims (LB) – Sims has a chance to step in right away and give the Eagles’ defense a little shot in the arm and maintain it as one of the most formidable units in the league. The former Detroit Lions’ linebacker has had some issues with staying healthy, and he’ll have to compete for a starting job with Akeem Jordan, but the Eagles definitely made out with a solid player in that three-way trade with the Lions and the Denver Broncos. In terms of the Eagles’ defensive unit as a whole, this acquisition probably doesn’t drastically change their fantasy value, but it definitely doesn’t hurt it, as the Eagles spent a lot of time in 2009 trying a number of different players at the linebacker position.

KEY DEPARTURES

Donovan McNabb (QB) – One of the biggest offseason shakeups, Donovan McNabb is now the Washington Redskins quarterback. To some degree this changes the fantasy values for nearly all of the Eagles stars. The the transition from McNabb to Kevin Kolb will benefit Brent Celek and should be neutral towards DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. Jackson is already such a proven star, you shouldn’t worry about his fantasy expectations in 2010. He’s a stud; he’ll perform at a WR1 level. Maclin has the ability to produce as a WR2 and through natural maturation his numbers will increase. McNabb’s experience will definitely be missed, don’t be surprised to see Kolb suffer in some games where McNabb knew how to dig deep and get that important touchdown for his team and your fantasy football team. Time will tell how much the Eagles will miss McNabb’s veteran leadership.

Brian Westbrook (RB) – It wasn’t long ago when Brian Westbrook was a top fantasy pick. He had some games where his day alone could win your fantasy game for you. Now Westbrook is on the free agent market hoping a team will pick him up. Always fighting the injury bug, the Westbrook gravy train may have finally come to a stop. His departure will not hurt Philadelphia as much as losing McNabb does, mostly because they didn’t really have him last year. The Eagles are already used to not having Westbrook’s skills to fall back on. Like McNabb, the veteran leadership of Westbrook will be missed, and that’s something LeSean McCoy does not have yet, but again, this is something the Eagles got used to last year. Even if a team does take a chance on Westbrook, you are probably better off keeping him on your leagues waiver wire.

Sheldon Brown (DB) – This is a big blow to the Eagles and to the fantasy football value of their defense. An iron man, Sheldon Brown hasn’t missed a game since 2004. Last season, despite battling a hamstring injury, he still recorded five interceptions. Fantasy owners of the Eagles defense will definitely miss that production next year. Brown, a former Pro Bowler, will now try to give some respect to the Cleveland Browns’ pitiful defense. Though the loss of Brown will hurt the Eagles defense they should still be considered a top tier fantasy unit.

ROOKIE TO WATCH

Brandon Graham (DE) – This year will be a learning experience for Graham as he will likely have to quiet all the naysayers who said at the NFL Draft that he was too small to be an effective defensive end. The first defensive end selected in the draft, Graham brings 29.5 collegiate sacks to the Eagles, who boasted 44 last season. He will have a lot of pass rushers to learn from on Philadelphia, but there will definitely be a learning curve for the rookie. Don’t expect to see Graham make an immediate impact on Week 1; however, if he plays up to his potential, his presence could help the Eagles record a few more sacks and more fantasy football points for you if you own this defense.

Nate Allen (DB) – Nate Allen will begin his rookie campaign with some high expectations. For starters, his draft spot was part of the deal that sent Donovan McNabb to Washington. Secondly, he was drafted with the hopes that he could step in and help out Philadelphia’s depleted secondary. Allen is expected to step in right away, no learning curve here. It’s always hard to predict how a rookie will do when he’s thrown into the fire. If he can play like the Eagles say he can, the loss of Sheldon Brown may not sting so much this season.

Need help organizing your fantasy draft? We’ve got you covered….

NFC WEST:  ARI  |  STL  |  SF  |  SEA

NFC SOUTH:  ATL  |  CAR  |  NO  |  TB

NFC NORTH:  CHI  |  DET  |  GB  |  MIN

NFC EAST:    DAL  |  NYG  |  PHI  |  WAS
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The Bruno Boys have once again teamed up with Commish Kit to sell fantasy football draft boards. The 2010 draft boards are available for purchase and you can pick one up here… DRAFT BOARDS

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