NFL Fantasy Football Training Camp Preview: AFC East

Read our complete 2007 NFL Fantasy Football Training Camp Coverage!
NFC	AFC
North	North
East	East
West	West
South	South

Buffalo Bills

QB’s: J.P. Losman is firmly established as the starter after a pretty good 2006 season. The Bills have been looking for Losman to develop and it appears he finally has a handle on what he needs to do to be a starter in the NFL. For fantasy football rankings though, Losman is better served as a #2. Craig Nall backs him up and rookie Trent Edwards could push Nall for the main backup spot.

RB’s: With Willis McGahee gone, 1st round draft pick Marshawn Lynch will compete with veteran Anthony Thomas for the starting RB duties. Lynch brings an element of speed that Thomas lacks and also has good hands. If Lynch wins the job outright, he could be a decent #2 RB in fantasy football leagues. If he doesn’t, he should at least get a split of the carries with Thomas and that would push both RB’s values down to #3/#4 status. Thomas is a tough runner and could be more of the TD threat, but he could be pushed for the power back role by another rookie, Dwayne Wright. Small, but speedy Shaud Williams figures to round out the RB’s.

WR’s: Lee Evans is an emerging stud in the NFL and his fantasy football predictions for many years should have him in the top 10 WR’s. Peerless Price likely remains the starter opposite Evans, but he has been a washout since his one big season in his last go around in Buffalo several years ago. Josh Reed is the #3, but his fantasy prognosis isn’t anything worth drafting. Roscoe Parrish is undersized, but very fast and could supplant Reed for the #3 role. Sam Aiken rounds out the corps and while there’s usually talk every year about him in training camp, it never translates into playing time when September comes.

TE’s: There is a slew of mediocre talent at TE in Buffalo. The Bills will be using a couple of their TE’s as H-backs this season instead of the traditional FB. For TE purposes, Robert Royal is the starter, and although he came on towards the end of last season, he just doesn’t stack up athletically enough to be more than waiver wire fodder. Kevin Everett is his likely backup while Brad Cieslak and Ryan Neufeld will both compete for the H-back spot. Rookie Derek Schouman could surprise and win a spot on the roster as a backup at both positions.

K: Rian Lindell is the kicker and while he’s been very accurate the last 3 seasons and has scored over 100 points in each, he is a guy you likely can find on the waiver wire or drafted as a #2 K in leagues where you have to carry 2. Kicking in Buffalo in December is dicey and hurts his perceived value.

Miami Dolphins

QB’s: Trent Green was acquired from the Kansas City Chiefs and will be the starter. His past relationship with Dolphins Head Coach Cam Cameron could help him to perform better than many anticipate. Veteran Daunte Culpepper is on his way out of Miami and doesn’t figure into the 2007 plans. Rookie John Beck will compete with Cleo Lemon for the top backup spot to Green.

RB’s: Ronnie Brown is a talented RB who is big, fast, strong, and catches the ball very well out of the backfield. Cameron will try to get more out of him than the disappointing stats we’ve seen from Brown his first 2 seasons. Brown is a RB with near elite talent and should be better in 2007. Rookie Lorenzo Booker will compete for spot duty as a 3rd down specialist and occasional change of pace guy. With Ricky Williams likely to be released or suspended again by the beginning of the season, veteran Jesse Chatman will compete with Patrick Cobbs for the #3 RB spot.

WR’s: Chris Chambers disappointed in 2006, but he has top 12 WR talent. The combination of double teams and poor QB play contributed to his struggles and it’s hoped that a QB like Green will get him back on track. If they click, Chambers could get back to being a good fantasy #2. Marty Booker is the starter opposite Chambers and had a very respectable 2006 season. Providing he can hold off rookie Ted Ginn and second year pro Derek Hagen, Booker makes a serviceable fantasy #4 WR with some upside if the way he played at the end of the 2006 season wasn’t a fluke. Ginn and Hagen will compete for the #3 spot. Ginn has special speed, but needs to show he’s fully recovered from a foot injury to take the spot from the much bigger Hagen. Aging veteran Az-zahir Hakim will probably hold down the 5th WR spot.

TE’s: Miami let Randy McMichael go and signed former Green Bay Packer David Martin to be their new starter. Martin has pass catching skills and could be a prime fantasy football sleeper at the TE position in 2007. Justin Peelle is the likely backup because of his knowledge of the offensive system from his time with Cameron in San Diego. 2nd year pro Tim Massaquoi fills out the TE’s. He has pass catching ability, but didn’t get many chances to show it in 2006.

K: After letting Olindo Mare go to the New Orleans Saints, the Dolphins went out and signed Jay Feely to be their new kicker. In 2005, Feely scored 148 points, but that number dropped to 107 in 2006. He has a good, accurate leg but can be streaky. Feely is a backup K in fantasy.

New England Patriots

QB’s: Tom Brady is an elite NFL QB and a top 5 fantasy QB. Brady is a proven winner in both and should again excel in 2007. Matt Cassel is his primary backup and it is expected that by the end of training camp, the Patriots will sign 43 year old veteran Vinny Testaverde to be their insurance policy for 2007.

RB’s: Gone is Corey Dillon, but that’s okay as Laurence Maroney is expected to step up and become the feature RB. Maroney did well in a platoon system with Dillon in 2006 and providing he can stay healthy (he had off-season shoulder surgery) he should shine in 2007. But the shoulder surgery could keep Maroney out of the beginning of training camp, so this needs to be monitored carefully. A healthy Maroney is a potential top 10 fantasy RB. An injury plagued Maroney means backup’s Sammy Morris and Kevin Faulk cut into his 2007 fantasy football projections. Faulk is excellent as both a pass catcher and change of pace guy, but can’t stand up to the pounding of being a feature RB. Morris is a strong RB and could be a short yardage and goal line specialist. Morris will be both a RB and a FB and will shuttle in the latter capacity with Heath Evans. The Patriots also drafted Justise Hairston, but he doesn’t figure to be in the mix unless Maroney’s shoulder isn’t healed up by the start of the season. If Maroney’s shoulder does become a major concern, his value drops to a borderline fantasy #2/3.

WR’s: No position got more of a facelift during the off-season in New England. Randy Moss was acquired from Oakland and figures to be the #1. With the way Brady historically spread the ball around, it’s hard to see Moss being an elite WR in fantasy football projections, but he should be a steady #2 fantasy WR. Opposite him should be Donte Stallworth. Stallworth had a solid showing his one season in Philadelphia last year and provides another big play threat for Brady. He checks in as a borderline fantasy #3/#4. The Patriots also acquired Wes Welker from Miami and he will compete with Reche Caldwell for the #3 WR spot. Also in the mix are last year’s rookie Chad Jackson (who’s coming back from a torn ACL), Bengals castoff Kelley Washington, Jabar Gaffney, and the team recently re-signed 15 year veteran Troy Brown. There’s a lot of WR talent in New England, and how things shake up in training camp should be interesting. Assuming the Patriots keep 6 WR’s for the regular season, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Chad Jackson goes to Injured Reserve mid-preseason with Gaffney becoming the odd-man out from the other 7.

TE’s: Ben Watson has all the skills to be an elite TE, and his breakout season is overdue. The trouble for Watson’s fantasy football predictions is that the Patriots spread the ball around to everyone. With Dan Graham gone, it’s hoped that Watson will get a few more looks in 2007. David Thomas was a rookie in 2006 and has great hands and upside. He will be the backup for pass catching duties. Thomas could be like Graham was: a red zone favorite who doesn’t get much between the 20’s. Veteran Kyle Brady was signed to be the blocking TE but he has no fantasy value.

K: Stephen Gostkowski was admirable as a rookie replacing Adam Vinatieri. Gostkowski showed the ability to nail clutch kicks, but needs better accuracy. He scored 103 points on 20-26 FGA’s and it’s hoped that he will continue to get better. Gostkowski is a borderline starting kicker in fantasy football because of the explosive offense he kicks for.

New York Jets

QB’s: Chad Pennington finally started an entire season without missing any time because of injury in 2006. He is firmly established as the starter. His numbers in 2006 were good, but not great and his fantasy football projections in 2007 call for more of the same. A decent spot starter in leagues, but not a guy you throw out there every week. 2nd year QB Kellen Clemens will be the backup. He is the heir apparent to Pennington, but that probably won’t happen until 2008 (unless Pennington goes back to his injured ways). Former Raider Marques Tuiasosopo is the #3 and it’s unimaginable he’d have any value even if he were pressed into action.

RB’s: Thomas Jones was acquired from Chicago to put an end to the running back by committee situation that plagued the Jets in 2006. He steps in and makes a good fantasy RB #2 in all leagues. Speedster Leon Washington will be the primary backup and change of pace guy, while brutish Cedric Houston likely nails down short yardage and goal line specialist duties. Jones doesn’t score a lot of TD’s, but he usually is good for 6-9 so Houston isn’t likely to vulture more than a handful. Curtis Martin is still on the roster, but his knees are shot and retirement is imminent. Darian Barnes and Stacy Tutt are the FB’s.

WR’s: Laverneus Coles and Jerricho Cotchery are the starters. Both are solid NFL WR’s and have enough playmaking ability to be borderline good fantasy #2/3 WR’s. If Cotchery continues to develop like he did in 2006, he could supplant Coles as the #1 on this team. Behind them are Justin McCareins, Frisman Jackson, and Tim Dwight. McCareins has been a big disappointment since coming to New York and could be a salary cap casualty before the season starts. Jackson was signed as a free agent and could surprise. He is best known for being the free agent pickup flavor of the week in fantasy leagues back in 2005 after a great week one performance that year before disappearing back into obscurity. Dwight has had a hard time staying healthy and while he has big play potential, he’s not reliable. Jackson is most likely to come out of this group to have any fantasy value. There’s also Brad Smith and rookie Chansi Stuckey. Stuckey just looks like a numbers casualty and may end up on the practice squad, while Smith is a man without a true position. He’s a WR, sometimes a RB, and played QB in college. He can make plays and could push for the #3 role as well.

TE’s: Chris Baker is the only proven pass catching TE on the roster. He has some ability and could be a fantasy football sleeper at the position, but should only be drafted as a #2 TE in any league. Sean Ryan, Jason Pociask, and James Dearth are the backups. Ryan and Pociask are great blockers but relative non-factors in the passing game while Dearth is the team’s long snapper.

K: Nugent shined in his second season in the league in 2006 by making 24-27 FGA’s and scoring 106 points. He continues to show good leg strength by booming 2 from 50+ in 2006 and if the Jets offense gets rolling, Nugent could be a sleeper at the position to finish in the top 10 by seasons end.

See Russ's other 2007 NFL Fantasy Football Training Camp articles:

• 2007 NFL Fantasy Football Training Camp Preview: AFC North
• 2007 NFL Fantasy Football Training Camp Preview: AFC South
• 2007 NFL Fantasy Football Training Camp Preview: AFC West
• 2007 NFL Fantasy Football Training Camp Preview: NFC East
• 2007 NFL Fantasy Football Training Camp Preview: NFC North
• 2007 NFL Fantasy Football Training Camp Preview: NFC South
• 2007 NFL Fantasy Football Training Camp Preview: NFC West

Russ Bliss is FantasyFootballStarters.com's exclusive fantasy football expert, a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association, and for 11 years has been the radio host of "The Red Zone, Talking Fantasy Football and the NFL," in Phoenix, Arizona.

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