Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

Oakland Raiders

The sheer fact that the Oakland Raiders did not finish in the cellar in the AFC West is a strong indicator of the troubles the division is currently enduring. I mean, this was a team that posted just 12.3 points per game on the year, while allowing 23.7 points per game to their opponents. No matter how you spin it, that’s just bad. The Raiders will look to close the gap between those two numbers in 2010, but to do so, a lot of work needs to be done.

Team Strengths:

- Michael Bush (When discussing the Oakland Raiders’ ground game, all anyone wants to focus on is Darren McFadden, but it’s Bush that’s the better runner between the tackles. With the team letting Justin Fargas go, Bush is in store for an expanded role in 2010, and considering his career 4.6 yard per carry average, that’s a good thing)
- Sebastian Janikowski (It’s ridiculous to think of the fantasy value Janikowski would hold on a team with any semblance of an offense. Now signed to a 4-year $16 million deal with Oakland, Janikowski’s fantasy value appears to be limited for quite some time, but his value to the Raiders remains. Last season, the kicker connected on 6-of-8 field goals from 50+)
- Nnamdi Asomugha (There’s a reason the corner back had just one interception in 2009. Teams simply don’t throw the ball his direction. He’s that good!)

Team Needs:

1. A Capable QB - Completing less than 50% of his throws in 2009 for just 1,287 yards, 3 TDs, and 11 INTs in 12 games last year, JaMarcus Russell is getting ever closer to Ryan Leaf status, and that my friends is not a good thing. The Raiders, though, think they may have something in Bruce Gradkowski, who averaged 211.0 passing yards in four starts last year, while throwing 6 TDs and just one interception. However, the team needs to be a bit weary about going forward with Gradkowski. Sure, he was leaps and bounds better than Russell, but that’s like beating a deaf guy in Name That Tune. If the Raiders were smart, they’d bring in one more arm to compete for the starting QB job.

2. D-Line Help - You thought the Broncos needed a run stopper in the worst way, well Oakland needs one even more. In 2009, the Raiders not only gave up 155.5 rushing yards per contest, but they also allowed 24 rushing TDs, tied with the St. Louis Rams for worst in the league. Opposing teams won’t ever have to throw Asomugha’s way if they can simply get first downs on the ground time after time.

3. A Solid Handed Receiver - When the Raiders’ took Darrius Heyward-Bey over Michael Crabtree in the 2009 NFL Draft, the critics let Al Davis have it. Speed means nothing if you can’t haul in the ball, a point made very evident in Heyward-Bey’s nine catch season. The Raiders’ wide receiver problems don’t end, though, with Heyward-Bey. No wide out in silver and black caught more than 35 passes last season. Sure, much of that had to do with Russell’s inability to throw anything close to a pass, but some of the blame has to fall on the wide receiver corps as well. The Raiders need to find that sure handed possession receiver if they’re going to keep drives going in 2010.

Kansas City Chiefs

The good news for the Chiefs is that they doubled their wins from 2008 to 2009. The bad news is that the jump was from just two victories to four, not quite what they expected after bringing in Cassel and new head offensive-minded head coach, Todd Haley, previously offensive coordinator to the Arizona Cardinals during their Super Bowl run. Coming in at 25th in total offense and 30th in total defense, it’s evident that there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done in KC.

Team Strengths:

- Running Attack (Given an opportunity to showcase his skills, following Larry Johnson’s release due to defamatory remarks made on Twitter, Jamaal Charles was one of the biggest surprises of the 2009 season. On just 190 carries, Charles broke the 1,000-yard mark by averaging 5.9 yards per carry on the season. If Charles wasn’t enough, the team added Thomas Jones via free agency. Jones may indeed be aging, but the back has accounted for five straight 1,000-yard seasons)
- Brandon Flowers (The second year cornerback tallied five interceptions in 2009, and his continued development should indeed help a struggling secondary, a unit that ranked 22nd in pass defense in 2009)
- Draft Spot (Not all of the Chiefs’ problems can be addressed this off-season. There are just too many. However, the team can take a step in bettering themselves for the future by striking gold with their 5th overall selection in this year’s draft)

Team Needs:

1. Solve the Identity Crisis - Coming from the Arizona Cardinals, where he had the likes of Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, and Anquan Boldin to work with, it is no surprise that Haley favored the pass during his first season with the Chiefs, throwing the ball (536 attempts) nearly 100 times more than running it (438 attempts). However, with Charles and Jones set to man the backfield, the Chiefs need to become a smash mouth type team, wearing opposing defenses down with their ground game.

2. Run Stopper - It’s a common theme here in the AFC West, but like their division rivals, the Broncos and Raiders, the Chiefs are also in need of a run stopper. Finishing the season as the second worst defense at stopping the run, the Chiefs allowed 156.5 yards per game. Just bringing in DT Shaun Smith, who likely won’t even start, is not going to fix the issue.

3. O-Line Help - As already noted, Cassel’s debut season with the Chiefs wasn’t quite what the front office imagined when inking the QB to a big deal prior to 2009. The blame, though, can’t all be laid at Cassel’s feet. After all, it’s hard to complete passes from your back, a place Cassel was often as the Chiefs allowed the 6th most sacks in 2009, yielding 45 on the year.

NFC Needs By Division:  NFC West  |  NFC North |  NFC South  |  NFC East

AFC Needs By Division:  AFC West  |  AFC North  |  AFC South  |  AFC East

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