Lloyd’s value on the rise in St. Louis

Michael Fabiano | Tags: Three and out, Brandon Lloyd, Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos, Eddie Royal, Eric Decker, Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams

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NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora is reporting that the St. Louis Rams will acquire Brandon Lloyd in a deadline deal with the Denver Broncos. It’s a move that has major fantasy implications for a number of players, none greater than Lloyd and Sam Bradford.

Lloyd, the top-scoring wide receiver in fantasy football last year, is now someone to target in fantasy trades of your own. Reunited with Rams OC Josh McDaniels, who was the head coach in Denver during Lloyd’s breakout season, the veteran should see an uptick in value down the stretch. It also helps that he doesn’t need to learn the offense. Bradford’s stock is also on the rise, as he now has a legitimate option in the pass attack.

Available in over 30 percent of NFL.com leagues, Bradford is also worth a look off the waiver wire.

In Denver, Eric Decker becomes the top option in the pass attack for Tim Tebow. While the team will favor a run-first offense, Decker should see an uptick in targets — grab him if he’s a free agent. Eddie Royal will have added value as well, but the names I’d remember is Demaryius Thomas. He’s coming back from an Achilles’ injury and could earn a starting role sooner than later. The Georgia Tech product is worth an add in leagues with 12-plus teams.

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Is Manning's Value More Than Colts Bargained For?

But not enough.

Manning isn't just the most valuable football player of his era. He belongs in the conversation for most valuable in any team sport ever. He's mastered the game like no one since Otto Graham took the Cleveland Browns to the championship match in each of his 10 seasons more than a half-century ago.

Indy's error-riddled, injury-plagued 0-5 start to this season, while Manning recovers from two neck surgeries that sidelined him for the first time in his pro career, is a testament to it. But it's only one of many.

"We've been spoiled by great quarterback play for a long time," Colts defender Robert Mathis said after a second straight second-half letdown resulted in a 28-24 loss to Kansas City last weekend. "But the fact of the matter is we have got to hold our end up."

The Colts have become a cautionary tale about what happens when a team ties its fate to one player, and that player can no longer go. Think of the Chicago Bulls after Michael Jordan walked away from basketball the first time. Or, to cite an example of NFL history repeating itself, how long the old Baltimore Colts wandered in the league's wilderness searching for Johnny Unitas' replacement.

Using the draft, trades and free-agent pickups, NFL contenders continually strive to strike a balance between the strength of their offenses and defenses. But in the modern game, with its increasing emphasis on scoring and protecting quarterbacks more than any other player on the field, a top-flight passing attack has become paramount. Manning was so successful for so long that the Colts became dangerously lopsided.

During his tenure, their running game became an afterthought and the defense, used to chasing opposing quarterbacks forced to throw often to make up the deficits Manning built, evolved into a one-dimensional unit. They were fast enough to pressure the passer, but too small to win most wars of attrition.

With hindsight, it's easy to see how Indianapolis owner Jim Irsay and football chief Bill Polian were caught unprepared. Manning, who turned 35 in March, hadn't missed a game since the Colts used the first pick of the 1998 draft to get him. During that span, only Drew Brees of New Orleans contributed more to his team's total offense — 72 percent vs. 71 — though that covers only the past five seasons, compared to 13 for Manning.

Brett Favre, who holds several NFL passing records Manning is still chasing, ranked third at 68 percent during a 10-year stint in Green Bay. Even Tom Brady, the Patriots' three-time Super Bowl-winning QB whom Manning is most often measured against, comes in at the same 68 percent after 10 complete seasons as the starter in New England. All three rivals' value to their teams was propped up by better, more consistent running games and defenses.

"I can't even think of too many guys from any era whose teams were so dependent on the success of just one guy," Pro Football Hall of Fame historian Joe Horrigan said. "Brady, to some extent, now. In the recent past, Dan Marino with the Dolphins, Barry Sanders with the Lions and Jim Kelly in Buffalo, considering how much of the no-huddle offense relied on his calls. Unitas, too, but Johnny had Lenny Moore to run and Raymond Berry to catch passes for most of his stay. ... But I'd say the closest guy to Manning was probably Otto Graham.

"Because he was involved in every phase — and this is taking nothing away from his coach and mentor, Paul Brown — Graham was what we used to call a 'field general.' And taking nothing away from the great quarterbacks since then, up until now, I don't see any of them fit that description as well as Manning does."

Even as better statistical tools make it easier to assess a player's performance in the context of a team, they still reveal only so much about his real value. Difficult as that is to measure, it's one category where Manning clearly blows away the competition.

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Value of Texans WR Johnson could take another hit

Published: November 17th, 2010 | | Tags: Houston Texans, Andre Johnson, Matt Leinart, Dan Orlovsky, Matt Schaub, Darrelle Revis, Gary Kubiak

Texans starting QB Matt Schaub has been hospitalized with a bursa sac in his knee according to coach Gary Kubiak, according to the team’s official website. Kubiak said that he expects Schaub to be released from the hospital Wednesday, and possibly return to practice on Thursday.

“Well, he’s not here today,” Kubiak said. “I’ve got to see where he’s at tomorrow, but I’m telling you, I expect him here tomorrow. If that’s the case and he’s doing what he normally does, then you’re damn right he’ll be out there.”

Sound like somebody is worried about their job security? Either that, or he is worried about his options behind Schaub. Normally, this is where a coach would talk up his backup quarterbacks. Yet, Kubiak could not wait to say that Schaub will be back on the field, even if he is wearing a robe and a bedpan for a helmet.

Or, at least it just sounded that way to me.

The value of Texans WR Andre Johnson has taken a hit this week because of matchup against Jets CB Darrelle Revis. Dre’s value will plummet like the elevator car on Disney’s Hollywood Tower of Terror if the Texans have to turn to QBs Dan Orlovsky or Matt Leinart, who has been listed as the team’s emergency quarterback for most of the season.

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