Tony Gonzalez Saves Fan’s Life…

In the ultimate heroic He-Man effort of the off-season - and perhaps the entire year - Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez, who participated in the hit TV show “Oprah’s Big Give” as a judge this past spring, performed the Heimlich Maneuver on a man named Ken Hunter, dislodging a piece of steak from his windpipe and allowing him to breathe.

Hunter was choking on a piece of steak at a restaurant where Gonzalez happened to be dining in Huntington Beach, CA - according to Rototimes.com.

Gonzalez told media later that it was a natural instinct to help the man, and ultimately save his life.

The ironic part - apparently Hunter is a Chargers fan! Maybe now he’ll root for the Chiefs - or at least number 88, our He-Man.

Fantasy Impact: Larry Johnson

Chiefs Sign Rookie WR Will Franklin…

The Chiefs inked rookie WR Will Franklin today, who has impressed in off-season activities and practices, to the point where he’s likely to start opposite second year man Dwayne Bowe.

Franklin is a Missouri product, and and 6′1″, has shown a great mix of size, speed and separation ability. New OC Chan Gailey plans to use him to stretch the field opposite Bowe.

If the Brodie Croyle experiment works out at all, Franklin could have some solid sleeper value in long term formats

Jamaal Charles To See 10-12 Carries A Game?

Chiefs head coach Herm Edwards told the media that rookie RB Jamaal Charles would see 10-12 carries a game in 2008. This was in context of talking about Larry Johnson’s workload. Edwards said Johnson would be “lucky” to get 30 touches a game in 2008, but that he’d still see the workload of a featured back.

It’s interesting that Edwards is talking about this, because it seemed like an obvious assumption. The real news here is that Charles is likely to see more action than many of us thought in year one, and that Kolby Smith appears to be third on the depth chard. Charles’ dynasty value just took a solid step in the right direction with these comments. More to come.

Branden Albert Injury Update…

After being carted off the field during practice the other day, Chiefs rookie OT Branden Albert is apparently only dealing with a sprained ankle, an injury that will not keep him from missing any time in training camp.

Rotoworld reported that Albert threw out the first pitch at a Royals game recently, and seemed fine on the ankle and in good spirits about the injury. We believe Albert’s presence will definitely help Larry Johnson have a solid season in K.C. in 2008.

Branden Albert Injures Ankle…

The Kansas City Chiefs suffered a horrible scare yesterday when first round OT Branden Albert injured his ankle in practice and needed to be carted off the field. The severity of the injury is not known at this time, but head coach Herm Edwards was optomistic.

Still, this could be a blow to Larry Johnson’s fantasy potential if Albert misses significant time.

Larry Johnson Misses Practice Sunday…

Chiefs RB Larry Johnson sat out practice Sunday due to his foot injury. We believe that it was strictly precautionary and that L.J. has not had a setback.

We’ll continue to follow him throughout the off-season, but right now, we believe he’s a top end RB2 in all leagues.

Careful What You Read About LJ

Fantasy owners need to be very careful in how they interpret certain media reports regarding star players. For example, a source that we won’t throw under the bus recently reported that Larry Johnson’s workload will be “cut back” in 2008. When actually looking at what head coach Herm Edwards said, however, we came to a different conclusion. Read more

Larry Johnson Says He’s 100 Percent…

Dynasty owners of Chiefs soon-to-be 29 year old RB Larry Johnson should be breathing easy and preparing themselves for a possible comeback fantasy season from their former stud. LJ not only told the media that he feld “100 percent” physically after yesterday’s practice, but Chiefs beat writers confirmed that he absolutely looked great.

It appears the injury concerns are behind him, for now, and the mystery foot injury seems obsolete. Now that we can correctly judge him, see where he ranks in our seasonal rankings.

Will Franklin To Start For Chiefs?

We’re hearing that the starting WR spot opposite Dwayne Bowe in Kansas City is wide open, and that 6′1″ rookie Will Franklin from Missouri is a legit candidate to win the gig. Franklin, who has played very well in practices thus far - impressing the likes of veteran Damon Huard - faces competition from fifth year man Devard Darling and veteran Jeff Webb.

Webb appears out of the running, while Darling is Franklin’s main competition. Darling only has one career start in four seasons, but scored three TDs in limited time last year with Baltimore.

Larry Johnson Sat Out Practice…

Word is that Chiefs RB Larry Johnson sat out practice on Thursday due to his foot injury. We’re not sure if there was a setback in his recovery, as it was probably just a precaution. Head coach Herm Edwards had been happy with his previous three days of hard work in practice, and positioned it as just a day off.

Larry Johnson Practices Fully…

One day after Chiefs head coach Herm Edwards came out and said he was going to be very cautious with Larry Johnson, and ease him back into practices, he let his star back loose to practice at 100 percent and participate fully in every aspect of practice.

Johnson reportedly did everything on Monday, and felt 100 percent. This is phenomenal news for his owners, and we’re considering moving him up in our seasonal rankings. We need to watch out for “coachspeak” from Edwards from now on, as saying one thing one day, then a completely different thing the next day, is a little fishy.