2012 NFC East Preview: Standings

Philadelphia Eagles          11 – 5

Dallas Cowboys                    10 – 6

New York Giants                  10 – 6

Washington Redskins      8 – 8

QBs

Michael Vick:  The only real question with Vick is how many games will he play? If he starts 13+ his fantasy football value is tremendous. In most fantasy football leagues, Vick should end up as a top seven QB. If you happen to be in a Franchise QB League where you automatically own the rights to your QB’s team’s QB. So if Vick goes down, you end up with a rookie type player, but at least he’ll still be throwing to DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Brent Celek and most importantly LeSean McCoy. Overall, the upside on the Eagles offense is tremendous – especially with Vick at the helm.

Eli Manning: Eli(te) certainly made his argument for being a great QB last season and I’ll give credit where it’s due. If not for Vick’s duel threat with his legs, Eli would probably earn the top spot in the NFC East. With weapons in Ahmad Bradshaw, Victor Cruz, and Hakeem Nicks, Eli’s fantasy value is as high as ever. Keep in mind when drafting and ranking QBs, this division is going to look pretty deep with a lot of strong QB talents. Eli is certainly one of them.

Robert Griffin III: No disrespect to Tony Romo, but I’m certainly rooting for a Cam Newton type season out of RG3. Washington won’t be able to get it together completely in 2012, but they have enough pieces in place (more than Carolina did probably), that Griffin is set up to really shine. He’ll have a lot of receiver options to choose from at camp including Santana Moss, Pierre Garcon, Josh Morgan, Fred Davis, and even second year receiver Leonard Hankerson. Don’t bet the farm on RG3, but he’d be a nice QB to have on your bench week 6 after he put up 16-20 TDs. RG3 could be a player that will be part of my later discussed “Cam Newton Back Up QB” strategy.

Tony Romo: If you end up starting Romo week 1 this season, you’ll be a pretty happy fantasy manager. Romo also has some nice options in what should be a pretty strong offensive team as well. Dez Bryant, Miles Austin, Jason Witten, Demarco Murray, and Felix Jones will do their part to put up big offensive numbers for whoever their QB happens to be.

RBs

LeSean McCoy: He’s probably the biggest part of the biggest offense in the East.

Ahmad Bradshaw: Depending on how much action rookie David Wilson gets, Bradshaw should be a big part of this offense again.

Felix Jones/DeMarco Murray: Can they both put up big numbers? Maybe, but look for signs of which player will start and get the majority of the action. Likely Jones.

Roy Helu: If Helu drops the ball, look for Evan Royster as a late round sleeper. A couple solid starts late in 2011, either one of these guys could earn a solid spot start on your roster.

WRs

Miles Austin: Probably has the combined most talent and biggest target factors working for him, and when healthy all he does is put up big numbers.

Victor Cruz: He’s proven he’s the number one receiver in this offense and should lead the team again.

Jeremy Maclin: He splits too much with Desean, but in a pass happy offense, he’ll put up numbers.

Desean Jackson: Practically the same as Maclin with a higher chance for a homerun game.

Pierre Garcon: He’s a talented receiver dropped in the rankings because of the new team. Nice upside.

Dez Bryant: Extremely talented but lacks a little bit in the head. If he ends up being the receiver he’s supposed to be, Dez could easily end up at the top of this list.

Hakeem Nicks: He’ll put up better numbers than Cruz in some games, but not the majority. Cruz has proved he’s the more explosive receiver, and a go to receiver for Eli.

TEs

Jason Witten: A big receiver that can run, and you couldn’t ask for better hands. He’s definitely still a top 5 TE, even at a very deep position.

Fred Davis: Coming off a strong year finishing with a suspension, look for Davis to make friends with RG3 and continue putting up big numbers.

Brent Celek: His numbers from a few years back may not reappear, but at least we know his potential upside. If the Eagles can get their offensive line in order, Celek could be set for another stand out year.

Martellus Bennett: Jake Ballard is still around, but the Giants went out and signed Bennett, previously a strong “recruit” for the Cowboys under Witten. It’s still a bit of a question how talented Bennett really is and how much Eli likes passing to his TE, but if the timing is right, he may be worth a late round pick and a couple weeks to wait and see.

I’ll dissect the rest of the NFC in the coming weeks, and stay tuned after that as I’ll cover all the divisions in the AFC and every impact fantasy football player!