Talking NFL

Here’s Part 2 on the Fantasy Value picks for 2007.  (click here for Part 1)

Defense - Dallas Cowboys

CBSSportsline Ranking:  #10 DEF
Talking NFL Ranking:  #7 DEF

Say what you want about new Head Coach Wade “dough-boy” Phillips (and there’s plenty there for another column…), but he’s had proven success in the past as a defensive coordinator, specifically with the 3-4 alignment. That should only improve the numbers of stud OLB DeMarcus Ware, who has 19.5 sacks in 2 seasons with the ‘Boys. Hopefully, he’ll also get more out of underachieving DE’s Marcus Spears and Chris Canty.

Free agent safety Ken Hamlin adds some stability to the secondary, and keep in mind that the Cowboys get the offensively challenged teams of the NFC North this year. Lastly, opposing quarterbacks should be sufficiently distracted by the presence of Carrie Underwood on the sidelines to throw a few extra INT’s…

(except for Brady, who’s probably had her all ready…)

Tight End - Chris Cooley (Redskins)

CBSSportsline Ranking:  #5 TE
Talking NFL Ranking:  #3 TE

Again, lack of basic common sense here in the CBS ratings; Cooley was # 3 in points last year, in their own words, “could post his best numbers yet in 2007″, yet they have him ranked 5th.

Wha…?

Would you rather take the potential upside of Cooley (in a contract year, by the way…), or take a chance that Tony Gonzalez won’t hit the wall this year? How about the always stable Jeremy Shockey? Yeah, I’ll go with C.C. instead, thanks…

Besides, how can you not like this guy? Did you read this nugget of wisdom, care of With Leather?

Cooley went to Vixens strip club in West Virginia this spring, and he took Christy [his fiancee] with him. And her father, her uncle, and her uncle’s wife. They were recognized by the staff, and the strippers danced to “Hail to the Redskins.”

By the way, his fiancee is a former Redskins cheerleader that got canned because they started dating. This is her Maxim photoshoot:

(in case your wondering if these pictures made me choose Cooley over Vernon Davis, the answer is yes. Sorry, but hot chicks are important to me. They should be important to you, too.)

Running Back - Brandon Jacobs (Giants)

CBSSportsline Ranking:  #22 RB
Talking NFL Ranking:  #17 RB

We’re staying in the Meadowlands for value RB #2 (I almost classified him as a Sleeper pick, but come on, you’ve HEARD of this guy. More on that when we do the sleeper picks).

No, Brandon Jacobs is not Tiki Barber, but he sure did a heck of a job last year swiping goal line TD’s from him last year (9 of them), leading to some rather frustrated (and comical) rants by Tiki owners.

So Jacobs, who’s build like a dump truck, gets the bulk of the carries for the G-men this year, along with the red-zone duties. And Eli will probably suck this year, meaning Coughlin will want to get the ball out of his hands & get some serious BJ work right up the middle. (Well that didn’t sound good…)

Overall, sounds like some serious up-side to me - let’s put him in the top 20.

Wide Receiver - Braylon Edwards (Browns)

CBSSportsline Ranking:  # 30 WR
Talking NFL Ranking:  # 24 WR

Again, simple math here. Edwards was tied for 28th in points last year, is going into his 3rd year when WR’s frequently break-out, and CBS has him…30th.

No, he’s 24th. And that’s that. Yes, I know he plays for the Browns…he makes up for it with style…

Dressing with style is important to me. It should be important to you, too.

With that, here’s your value pick roster:

Quarterback - Jon Kitna (Lions)
Running Back - Thomas Jones (Jets)
Running Back - Brandon Jacobs (Giants)
Wide Receiver - Lee Evans (Bills)
Wide Receiver - Joey Galloway (Buccaneers)
Wide Receiver - Braylon Edwards (Browns)
Tight End - Chris Cooley (Redskins)
Defense - Dallas Cowboys
Kicker - Jason Hanson (Lions)

Not to be confused with your STARTING line-up (that would suck). Just be sure to grab a few of these guys in the middle rounds to go along with your studs from the early rounds.

Up next - the always fun sleeper picks: coming soon to a Talking NFL post near you…

NFL, Fantasy Football, Value Picks, Fantasy Draft, hot cheerleaders, strip clubs, Chris Cooley is the man