NFL Fantasy Football Training Camp Preview: AFC South

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

Houston Texans

QB’s: The Texans parted ways with David Carr and made a trade with Atlanta to acquire Matt Schaub. Schaub has seen his services coveted the past couple of seasons by other teams and finally gets a chance to show whether he’s as good as the hype. Considering that he’s not as mobile as Carr was, and the offensive line hasn’t improved any, Schaub is by no means a sure thing to succeed right away in the NFL or in terms of good fantasy football projections. Schaub is a good fantasy backup at QB with a high ceiling if he shows he can make quick decisions with the ball or evade the opposing pass rush better than expected. Sage Rosenfels is the backup and the team is confident enough in him to not be afraid to throw him out there if Schaub struggles. Bradlee Van Pelt is the incumbent #3, but will face competition from Quinton Porter and Jared Zabransky.

RB’s: Offensive coordinator and former Packers head coach Mike Sherman needed a RB who could handle the RB duties, so the Texans went out and got the RB who was very productive under Sherman’s watch in Green Bay: Ahman Green. Green was once had a top 5 fantasy football ranking at RB, but now at 30 years old, he is unlikely to be able to bring those days back. What he can do though is give the Texans a RB who can execute his role in this offense with efficiency. He catches the ball extremely well and still has some speed left. You should feel great with Green as your fantasy #3 RB, but feel cautious with him as your #2. Behind Green are Ron Dayne, Wali Lundy, Samkon Gado, and Chris Taylor. Dayne was a late season surprise and may have finally found a home in the NFL as the primary backup to Green in 2007. Dayne also showed more power in his rushing in 2006 than he had previously in his career, so maybe he could also have some value as a TD vulture. Lundy will get a chance to be Green’s primary backup, but he was inconsistent last season and didn’t show much strength or speed. Gado never adapted to Houston and could be the odd man out of the group as the team is high on the developmental prospects of Chris Taylor. Taylor shined in his only chances last season, but is still a ways away from challenging for playing time. Vonta Leach is a solid blocking FB and Jameel Cook can catch a pass or two, but neither have any fantasy value.

WR’s: Andre Johnson is way too talented to not eventually bust loose as a top tier fantasy football WR sooner or later. He led the NFL in receptions in 2006 despite constant double teams. The Texans continue to look for someone who can start opposite Johnson and take some pressure off of him. They didn’t re-sign last year’s failed experiment in that category (Eric Moulds) and are going to try unheralded former Bengal Kevin Walter in that spot in 2007. Unless the Texans know something everyone else doesn’t don’t expect Walter to be any better than Moulds was. The #3 spot is up for grabs with rookie Jacoby Jones the favorite to win the job. Jones has a lot of potential but is raw and probably won’t contribute much fantasy-wise. Also in the mix are Charlie Adams, David Anderson, Jerome Mathis, Andre Davis, and recently signed veteran free agent Keenan McCardell. Adams has size, Anderson has heart, Mathis has speed, Davis and McCardell have experience. There’s not much chance of fantasy production from any of them though.

TE’s: Owen Daniels stepped up as a rookie catching all 5 of his TD passes in the first half of 2006, but seemed to hit the wall in the second half of the season. Regardless, he is the starter and is a borderline fantasy #1/2 in bigger leagues. Jeb Putzier was a disappointment last year but he’ll be the backup pass catching TE in 2007 while Mark Bruener is a great blocker and the backup blocking TE. Also fighting for a roster spot are Joel Dreesen and Ben Steele, but both are long shots to unseat any of the others.

K: Kris Brown has only had 1 100+ point season in Houston, and his accuracy is less than ideal (around 75% on FGA’s the last 3 seasons combined). Unless the Texans offense becomes a whole lot better very soon, you’ll find other kickers who are a whole lot better fantasy options in 2007 than Brown.

Indianapolis Colts

QB’s: If you’ve paid any attention to my fantasy football radio show, my fantasy football blog, or my fantasy football articles about QB’s the last 7 years, you’ll know I rank Peyton Manning as the #1 fantasy QB every year and 2007 is no different. No player at any position has displayed the consistency of Peyton Manning from year to year as being one of the top 4 at his position every season. If the Colts had a defense, he’d have more than one Super Bowl ring. Backing him up are Jim Sorgi and John Navarre. Sorgi has been with the team for 4 seasons now and knows the Colts system, but Navarre has some starting experience and a stronger arm. But considering Manning has started every game of his career, there’s little reason to worry about his backups.

RB’s: There are a lot of expectations on second year RB Joseph Addai now that Dominic Rhodes is gone. Addai enjoyed a splendid rookie season and if he can prove able to withstand the pounding of being a true feature RB, he ought to put up top 7 fantasy RB numbers in 2007. The Colts say they want to continue with the split they used last year, but considering that no other RB on the roster has a single regular season NFL carry, and you have to wonder if they’d really try that. Amongst those non-descript RB’s are DeDe Dorsey (the likely backup), Kenton Keith (formerly of the CFL), and Clifton Dawson (a free agent rookie). None of them possess a lot of size and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Colts add another RB with some size to their roster not too long into training camp.

WR’s: Marvin Harrison was second in the NFL in receiving yards and in receiving TD’s in 2006 and is an elite fantasy WR despite being 35 years old. Teammate Reggie Wayne had over 1,300 receiving yards and 9 TD’s and makes a solid fantasy #1 as well. Wayne is younger than Harrison and is hitting his prime. The Colts are counting on rookie Anthony Gonzalez to step up and be their #3. Normally a rookie WR doesn’t have a lot of immediate upside in fantasy football, but considering the Colts offense, if Gonzalez can take the job and literally run with it, he’ll be decent as a fantasy #3/4. Aaron Moorehead is Gonzalez’s main competition for the number 3 job and has flashed signs of ability, but not enough for the Colts to not draft Gonzalez in the first round. There’s also John Standeford and rookie Roy Hall. Standeford has little upside as he bounced between the practice squad and the active roster in 2006, while Hall possesses a lot of size and could intrigue. Neither though is likely to make any fantasy impact as the #5.

TE’s: Dallas Clark’s hype outweighs his fantasy production, but still, he has great skills and just needs more passes thrown his way to move from being a borderline fantasy starter to one of the top 8 in the game. Ben Utecht and Bryan Fletcher are good backup TE’s who can catch the ball as well, but neither get enough passes to merit being drafted in fantasy football leagues. The Colts also signed Mike Seidman as free agent. He flopped in Carolina, but generally was considered to have the skills necessary to be a decent player.

K: Adam Vinatieri is deadly accurate on FGA’s and consistently is a 100+ point scorer. Considering the power on the Colts offense, there’s never a week when you worry about taking a doughnut by your kicker when it’s Vinatieri. He might make more PAT’s than FG’s, but he gets the job done and should be a top fantasy kicker in 2007.

Jacksonville Jaguars

QB’s: Head Coach Jack Del Rio stated early in the off-season that Byron Leftwich is his man going into 2007. It took several games of watching David Garrard in 2006 for Del Rio to finally realize Garrard is just a backup. The jury is out on whether the lack of production from Leftwich is his fault, or the fault of some very mediocre WR’s. Either way, Leftwich is nothing more than a backup QB in fantasy terms. The saving grace on him is that he enters a contract year and that could give him the motivation to be much better than he’s been. But don’t be surprised if Del Rio still has a quick hook for Leftwich in games. Garrard failed to do much with his opportunities in 2006, so his status as top backup is precarious. Quinn Gray is the number 3 and could leap frog Garrard in preseason.

RB’s: Fred Taylor is still the primary starter in this RBBC. Despite that, Maurice Jones-Drew is the more explosive playmaker and the better fantasy choice. While it’s hard to see a part time RB scoring 16 TD’s every season, MJD is a solid fantasy RB #2 with elite upside. Taylor can fill the role of a fantasy #2, but you’d really feel a lot better about him as your #3. It will be interesting to see what effect the return of FB/RB Greg Jones has on either of them. If you remember, Jones was supposed to be the guy who was going to take the job from Taylor going into the 2006 season. But an ACL tear before the season ever began ended that talk and opened the door for MJD to have the breakout year he had. Jones must show he is recovered from his knee injury enough to warrant some carries. There’s also seldom used LaBrandon Toefield, Alvin Pearman, and Montell Owens in the mix as backups, but none will have any value barring major injuries to either Taylor or MJD.

WR’s: As tall a WR corps as there is in the NFL, and as underachieving as well. The usual top 3 are Matt Jones (6’6”), Reggie Williams (6’4”), and Ernest Wilford (6’4”). Jones has speed but hasn’t made the full transition from college QB to NFL WR yet. Williams will look unstoppable for a couple of games and then disappear for the rest. Wilford was a consistent set of hands in the red zone but that was taken away by the emergence of a strong running game in 2006 and therefore Wilford’s lack of speed meant a big dip in production for him. Jones has a lot of upside as he has playmaking ability. I think he is a prime fantasy football sleeper entering his 3rd NFL season and while I think he’ll be a good fantasy #2 WR, you can probably find him being drafted much later than that value would indicate and he’s probably being selected as a fantasy #3/4. Williams has ability, but it never seems to consistently make it onto the field and he is a borderline #4/5 fantasy WR. Wilford will find himself pushed for the #3 WR spot in Jacksonville by rookie Mike Walker, and veteran Dennis Northcutt. Walker has good size and surprising speed. He could be turn out to be the best WR of the bunch in a couple of years. Northcutt comes over from Cleveland, but at this point of his career, it’s doubtful he makes any fantasy football news in 2007. There’s also Charles Sharon and John Broussard in the mix. The coaching staff talks Sharon up a lot, but he isn’t as talented as the others and while Broussard has speed, he’s more likely a practice squad candidate (if even that).

TE’s: Marcedes Lewis didn’t develop as much as hoped as a rookie in 2006. But to be honest, he was a rookie. He is still the best playmaker of the group. His probable fantasy prospects don’t rate him more than a decent backup TE in fantasy football leagues, but he could surprise and therefore is worth keeping an eye on. George Wrighster finally showed some skills last year and while it might be enough for him to start the year as #1 on the depth chart, I doubt he holds onto it for very long. There’s also former Viking Jermaine Wiggins.

K: Josh Scobee enjoyed his best season in 2006 and as young kicker with a strong leg, he can get better. While not one of the elite kickers, Scobee deserves a look as a borderline starting fantasy K or as a top backup.

Tennessee Titans

QB’s: Vince Young was called into starting action early in 2006 and was electrifying. Not with his arm, but with his feet. I know that sounds like another overly hyped QB in the NFL currently facing court proceedings, but the difference is that Young actually can throw the ball and just needs some WR’s to throw to. Of curse, he could also use some RB’s to put the threat of a running game into opponents and an OL that can pass block for longer than “2 Mississippi” more often than not. Young has fantasy starter skills, but without the WR’s, he’s a high risk/high reward type of player in that situation. I’d rather have him as a backup unless you really get a much better bang for your QB rushing stats than his passing stats. Kerry Collins is his backup and he is preparing himself to follow in the career footsteps of Vinnie Testaverde (a veteran insurance policy you hope never has to play). Tim Rattay is the #3 QB and will be the odd man out if the Titans only keep 2 QB’s, or sign another veteran.

RB’s: Here’s as bad and unpredictable a situation as you’ll see in the NFL. Gone is Travis Henry, in is second round reach Chris Henry. But considering he’s a workout warrior who doesn’t take it onto the field, it’s no wonder the team brought back free agent Chris Brown. The Titans also have last year’s second round pick LenDale White, but he has yet to show more interest in being a player in the NFL than the all you can eat buffet at several Tennessee restaurants. The return of Chris Brown was a surprise as it is a silently admitted mistake by the Titans in letting Travis Henry go, and drafting Chris Henry. Don’t be surprised if Chris Brown is the best RB of this group, but even then he’s no better than a #4 fantasy RB. I also wouldn’t be surprised if the Titans brought in some more RB’s to compete. It would take a lot for any of the Tennessee RB’s to be worth more than a fantasy #3.

WR’s: As bad as the RB situation is, the WR situation is right on par with it. Brandon Jones is the default #1 WR, with Bears castoff Justin Gage likely to be the #2. David Givens is unlikely to be ready for the start of the 2007 season because of the knee injury he suffered in 2006. For the second time in 3 years, the Titans selected 3 WR’s in the NFL draft. In 2005 it was Jones, Courtney Roby, and Roydell Williams. In 2007 they brought in Paul Williams, Chris Davis, and Joel Filani. All of them are going to training camp and none are guaranteed to make the final roster. There’s also 2006 draftee Jonathan Orr. Here’s the way they shake out: Paul Williams is the most talented of the bunch, but thinks he’s better than he is; Chris Davis probably makes the team because he’ll try harder than the rest and could be a decent slot WR; Roby has some talent but plays tentatively and hasn’t been able to stay healthy; Roydell Williams just lacks anything special about his preparation or game; Joel Filani looks like practice squad material. Bottom line is that Brandon Jones is maybe worth a flyer as a fantasy #4/5; Gage a fantasy #5/6; and the rest should sit on your free agent wire unless they boggle the mind and roar onto the scene unexpectedly.

TE’s: When Ben Troupe is healthy, he make’s a good (not elite, but good) fantasy football starter at the position. He has elite talent though and if he develops a rapport with Vince Young, he could step it up in 2007. Because of Troupe’s struggles to stay healthy and the lack of talented WR’s, Bo Sciafe ends up with more numbers than he should. If Troupe is healthy, Sciafe is waiver wire material. If Troupe gets injured, Sciafe becomes a player you look for as a better than mediocre replacement. The team also has Ben Hartsock, but he’s mostly a blocking TE.

K: Rob Bironas just missed reaching the 100 point plateau again in 2006. He has a good leg and decent enough accuracy, but the Titans just don’t get him into enough situations to produce points via FG or PAT. Bironas is a backup kicker in fantasy leagues.

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

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