Holmes Working Out With Rice
December 21, 2007 at 5:16 am | Article by Paul Hickey |
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Word is that Pittsburgh second year WR Santonio Holmes will workout with Jerry Rice this off-season. Holmes came into the league as a glorified kick and punt returner after being selected in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft.
He had some legal issues prior to reporting to his first training camp, but battled back to have a solid rookie season last year, showing big play ability and leading the team in yards per catch. This season, when healthy, Holmes has shown the ability to be a number one fantasy receiver in Pittsburgh’s much-improved high scoring offensive attack. He’s recently battled back from an ankle injury that kept him out for almost three straight weeks. Our sources tell us that his speed is second to none, and that he may be the hardest wide receiver to cover in all of the NFL, especially downfield. The fact that he’s working out with the greatest receiver to ever play the game should get his dynasty owners extremely excited about the possibilities for a huge third season in 2008. After posting four catches for 133 yards in Week 16 at St. Louis, its clear Holmes is able to bounce back from injuries and not lose his speed. He has passed all tests and should be coveted by all long-term owners.
Raiders Want To Keep Fargas – 27 year old Justin Fargas posted a breakout season in 2007 prior to going down with a knee injury towards the end of the team’s Week 15 game. Fargas rushed 222 times for 1,009 yards and four TDs in only 14 games, including four games with more than 100 yards. The fact that Fargas carried the ball more than 10 times on only eight occasions makes those digits even more impressive, and Raiders coach Lane Kiffin has recently said that he wants Fargas back in 2008. Our sources tell us that the unrestricted free agent may not be so sure, as this will likely be the only opportunity he’ll ever have to cash in. He’s made the league minimum for his entire career, and with rookie Michael Bush and veterans LaMont Jordan and Dominic Rhodes still under contract with the team, Fargas could have his sights set on a new city.
Titans Think Mike Williams Can Contribute – Thus far throughout his professional career, Titans WR Mike Williams has been a disaster. Since the Lions drafted him 10th overall in the 2005 NFL Draft, the former USC Trojan has already played for three different teams in three seasons, being flat out released by two of them. While the 6’4”, 229 lb. WR has shouldered his share of criticism regarding his work ethic and attitude, our sources tell us that the Tennessee Titans are actually encouraged by what they’ve seen from him since acquiring him a few weeks ago. Apparently, Titans offensive coordinator Norm Chow – formerly a coach of Williams’ at Southern Cal – believes he can mold the 24 year old back into someone who can seriously contribute to an NFL team. The Titans have seen a versatile route runner with soft hands since picking him up after Raiders dropped him, and while he’s yet to catch a pass, dynasty owners should keep their eyes on him during the final two weeks of the season.
Dorsey Working His Way Up The Depth Chart? – It’s no secret that for the second straight season, the Cincinnati Bengals have absolutely fallen apart. While most people have blamed the team’s defense and lack of healthy linebackers for their demise this year, don’t think that the coaching staff doesn’t recognize that the offense has played a part as well. Despite producing two Pro Bowl WRs in Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, offensive production is down overall, from QB Carson Palmer to RB Rudi Johnson. Not only is production down, but the effectiveness of the running game has been extremely inconsistent, leading our sources to believe that an unlikely hero could be working his way up the team’s depth chart. We’re not referring to 2004 first rounder Chris Perry, or 2007 second rounder Kenny Irons, both of whom have missed the entire season with injuries. Instead, we’re talking about 24 year old undrafted DeDe Dorsey from Lindenwood. The former Colts back-up has stepped in recently in relief of Johnson, and displayed explosive, big play ability, rushing five times for 42 yards in Week 12 and four times for 81 yards in Week 14. Stranger things have happened in the NFL recently than guys like Dorsey getting a chance. While we admit Dorsey becoming fantasy-worthy is a long shot, he should officially be placed in the back pocket of dynasty owners.
Houston Happy With The RB Position – Our sources tell us that it’s very clear that Texans head coach Gary Kubiak is more than happy with his personnel at the running back position right now. After the quick tailspin of Dominick Davis-Williams in 2005, passing on Reggie Bush in the 2006 Draft, and the failure of the Ahman Green experiment in 2007, former Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne has resurrected his career by putting together a very solid season for his former offensive coordinator in Denver. Obviously, Kubiak sees something in Dayne, and believes in him, despite his disappointing pro career up until this point. Our sources tell us not to be surprised if Dayne, who will turn 30 in March, gets enough reps to remain a solid fantasy RB3 through the 2008 season. According to our sources though, the real hope is that undrafted rookie Darius Walker can be the Texans featured back of the future if Dayne fizzles out earlier than that. Walker, who has accumulated just less than 150 total yards on 36 touches in two games this season, has the look of an every down back.
Where Will Bryant Johnson End Up? – Our sources tell us that the top name by far on the free agent market in terms of wide receivers this off-season will be Arizona Cardinals WR Bryant Johnson. The back-up to Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin was actually the 17th overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft. The 6’3”, 216 lb., 26 year old pass catcher has hauled in a respectable 40 or more passes in each of the last four seasons, including 740 yards and four TDs in 2006. Our sources tell us that Johnson is a very well respected pass catcher among many NFL front offices and that the belief is he was a victim of playing behind two of the best young WRs in the game. Teams like the Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers and Tennessee Titans all could use serious upgrades at WR2. This will be a hot fantasy situation to follow this off-season.
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