GOLD NUGGETS
Unearthing the next Derek Anderson, Earnest Graham, or Ryan Grant could make the difference for FF owners going for the gold. I have dug deep through the NFL rosters to find the following gold nuggets. These players did not start on day one of the 2007 season, or were drafted in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft.

Arizona Cardinals - QB KURT WARNER
Although the 37 year old Warner enters this campaign as the backup to Matt Leinart, Kurt proved again last year (3417 passing yards, 27 TDs) that he is fantasy gold as a starter. Leinart is slated to start for the Cards and the club clearly understands his upside, but he will be on a short leash. Kurt is a MUST handcuff if you select Matt. For all FF owners, Warner makes for a nice mid-round selection. Redbird receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin are top flight, and both will go early in all drafts.

Atlanta Falcons -  RB MICHAEL TURNER
Burner was the most sought after free agent running back this off-season. As the backup to the Chargers Ladainian Tomlinson, Turner only carried the ball 228 times (5.5 YPC) over four regular seasons. He is powerfully built at 5-10 237 pounds, and should easily get 20+ carries a game and be the primary goal line back for the Falcons. Atlanta lacks a solid offensive line and a proven quarterback, but Turner should be golden as a regular full time starter in 08.

Baltimore Ravens - RB RAY RICE
With the departures of veterans Mike Anderson and Musa Smith, this 5-8 200 pound rookie has a terrific opportunity to back up starter Willis McGahee. At Rutgers, Rice showed durability and toughness. Ray surprised everyone with a better then expected 4.42 forty time at the NFL Combine, which helped vault him into the second round of the draft.  Rice sparkled on the field in recent Raven OTAs, creating quite a buzz. Some pundits are projecting him as the next Maurice Jones-Drew. Negatively affecting both runners are a sad Baltimore passing attack, an offensive line in transition, and a new coaching staff.

Buffalo Bills - WR JAMES HARDY
At almost 6-6 220 pounds, Hardy will be given every opportunity to start opposite Lee Evans. James posted an impressive 4.45 time in the forty at the NFL combine, and is tremendously athletic. The other Bill receivers are slight of stature, so Hardy should give QB Trent Edwards a big red zone target. Some observers believe that James can give the Bill offense a big boost, similar to the one Dwayne Bowe provided the Chiefs in 07. James needs to work on his route running, but his size will give him a big advantage against opposing corners. Watch Hardy closely during the pre-season to see if he shines.
 
Chicago Bears - RB MATT FORTE & WR DEVIN HESTER
Heres a two-fer for you. Chicago cut ties with underachieving former 1st round pick RB Cedric Benson, after a rash of off the field incidents. Forte had a spectacular 07 season for Tulane, where he showed the ability to run and catch the ball. At over 6-1 217 pounds, Matt posted a 4.46 forty time at the NFL Combine. Look for Forte to start over Adrian Peterson, and he get a lot of carries in light of a projected weak aerial attack. Hester has already made a name for himself as top return man in the NFL. He has trained fully in Chicago this off-season, to learn the nuances of the receiver position. With the departure of former starters Bernard Berrian and Moose Muhammad, the wide receiver mix is in total flux. Devin makes for a terrific late round WR pick, and he will also give you half a dozen TDs as a returner.
 
Cincinnati Bengals - TE BEN UTECHT
Cinci has finally added a receiving tight end to their offense. Bengal Ben (6-6 251 pounds) was acquired via free agency this off-season from the Colts, where he toiled under the large shadow of Dallas Clark. In his fourth year, Utecht’s best football is in front of him. A terrific red zone target for Carson Palmer, he will work the middle the field underneath star wide receivers Chad Johnson and TJ Houshmanzadeh. Utecht should garner 6 TDs and over 500 receiving yards for the Queen City Kitties.      
                                                                                                                                                                                      
Denver Broncos - RB SELVIN YOUNG
Travis Henrys release opened the door for Young to start. Selvin made the 07 roster as an undrafted rookie from Texas, and went on to lead the team in rushing with 729 yards (5.2 YPC). Young also showed a knack in the receiving game. During the off season, he added 7 pounds of muscle, worked hard daily at the team complex, and fully acclimated himself to the physical challenge of playing at high altitude. The Denver running back position is a treat for FF owners. The trick is determining who will start and get the bulk of the carries. I turned on my FF metal detector and determined that Selvin is solid gold. The Broncos astutely drafted Ryan Torrain early in the fifth round, but his contributions will come later.

Detroit Lions -  RB KEVIN SMITH
Drafted in the third round from Central Florida, Smith is currently second or third on the Lion depth chart behind Tatum Bell and Brian Calhoun. Kevin has impressed his coaches at team OTAs with his work ethic, grit, and blitz pick ups. His vision will help compensate for lack of speed, as the Lions have installed a one cut zone running scheme - that Smith ran in effectively as a workhorse for Central Florida. Kevin could come cheap in most FF drafts, as he has not yet earned the starting job and the Detroit offensive line is below par.

Green Bay Packers - QB AARON RODGERS
Strong armed 2005 first round pick Rodgers is ready to lead the Pack. Aaron has a terrific offensive line, running game, and receiver corps which will help him be successful in his first year as a starter. He has only thrown the ball 59 times during the previous three regular seasons, but the biggest knock on him are durability concerns.  Comparatively, I would take Rodgers higher this year then the Texans Matt Schaub was being drafted by FF owners in 07. Backups Brian Brohm and Matt Flynn pose no threat.

Indianapolis Colts - WR ANTHONY GONZALES
Word from Indy has it that Marvin Harrisons knee is on the mend, and they expect him to be ready at the start of the season. I am not sold on Harrison, who turns 36 in August. As a sophomore, Anthony has the potential to post 1000 yards receiving and double digit TDs, something Harrison has not done in the last 3 seasons. In early mock drafts. AG is being undervalued. QB Peyton Manning continues to guide the prolific Colt offense, and Gonzales will be oro for FF owners.

Jacksonville Jaguars - K JOSH SCOBEE
Shelved for the first 8 games of 2007 (after hurting his quadriceps in warm ups prior to the season opener), Josh came back for the last eight games and went 12-13 on FGs (7 over 40 yards) and 26-27 on PATs. Jacksonville looks to improve their scoring and balance on offense this year. Defensively, the Jags are fully capable of forcing stops and turnovers. There are only 2 potentially bad weather road games on the schedule. Expect Scobey to be golden this year.

Miami Dolphins - WR TED GINN
Longtime Fin receiver Chris Chambers was traded during the 07 season to the Chargers, and Marty Booker recently went back to the Bears as a free agent. 6-4 Earnest Wilford was brought in from Jacksonville, to start opposite the ninth overall pick in the 07 NFL Draft. The slightly built but speedy Golden Ginn is working hard on his route running, but don’t expect him to go over the middle very often. Miami will pound the ball on the ground with Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. The quarterback du jour will be throwing scores to Ted, who could notch double digit TDs in 08.

Minnesota Vikings - WR SIDNEY RICE
As a rookie, Rice recorded 31 catches for 396 yards and 4 TDs over 13 games. Minny signed FA Bernard Berrian away from the Bears and are moving Bobby Wade to the slot, so that Rice can start at the other outside receiver post. The 6-4 Rice added some much needed weight in the off-season, which will allow him to get off the line of scrimmage and outmuscle press coverage. Not especially fast, Sidney has sure hands and snatches the ball from the air without missing stride. The improvement of QB Tarvaris Jackson is vital to both Rices production and the franchises hopes to make the playoffs.