Leelanau Sports Guy at sportspig.com

Another fantasy bit from Draft Sharks…

The Lions have claimed RB Keiland Williams off waivers from Washington. HC Jim Schwartz told Mlive.com: “We like his skill set. I think we were very lucky to get him.” Williams’ arrival casts Jerome Harrison’s fantasy-handcuff status into doubt. Williams emerged as a quality receiver out of the backfield in Washington last year, pulling in 39 catches to just 65 rushing attempts. His skill set doesn’t seem all that different from Harrison’s, but the team’s move puts them at least on the same level. Schwartz also mentioned Williams as a possible candidate for goal line carries. “(He’s) a little bigger runner,” Schwartz said, “very productive in a role last year for the Redskins. He scored some touchdowns.” That could put a dent in RB Jahvid Best’s upside. We’ll be keeping a close eye on Detroit’s RB situation early this year.

My View: Williams looks like he could quickly turn into part of the rotation at running back. He’s a bigger back and could help make the loss of Leshoure less painful.

DraftSharks.com reports…

** Lions RB Mikel Leshoure will miss the entire 2011 season after tearing his Achilles tendon in Monday’s practice. He’s expected to undergo surgery, possibly as early as tomorrow. Achilles injuries are often a kiss of death for RBs, and there’s no guarantee that Leshoure regains pre-injury form. It’s an extremely tough break for a talented guy who appeared to have a bright NFL future. Meanwhile, Jahvid Best is now locked-in as Detroit’s feature back. If he can stay healthy, he could approach 300 total touches. That gives him huge upside on this explosive Lions offense. Maurice Morris is expected to step in as the team’s #2 back. Draft Sharks members can head over to the site right now to check out our updated projections for the Lions backfield.

WOW! Talk about bad news. Morris is a capable backup, but the one-two punch of Best and Leshoure was going to be fun to watch. Here’s hoping he recovers and has a football career after this injury!

From DraftSharks (love this site!)…

Rookie DT Nick Fairley will reportedly miss 3-4 weeks after undergoing surgery Wednesday on a stress fracture in his left foot. The upside is that timetable wouldn’t cost him any regular-season games. It certainly should keep DT Corey Williams in the starting lineup, though. Williams registered just 37 tackles and 2 sacks in his 1st year with the Lions but had a pair of 7-sack seasons in Green Bay. Fairley remains a high-ceiling, low-risk option late in IDP drafts that carry a DT requirement.

Not the start to his NFL career Fairley wanted I’m sure. It’s probably a little more never-wracking for the Lions organization as well. The strongest unit on the team takes a bit of a hit, but Fairley should still be ready for the regular season. Let’s hope he stays in shape and can pick up the schemes from the sidelines!

From Draft Sharks…

Lions beat writer Chris McCosky speculates that rookie RB Mikel Leshoure could see 40-45% of the reps this season. We currently have the Lions backfield projected at a 55-45 split in favor of RB Jahvid Best, although we’re thinking Best will see closer to 60% of the carries as long as he’s healthy. This will be a situation to monitor closely this summer.

My View: Something to definitely keep your eye as the possiblity of Fantasy Football is looking up again. The biggest thing is keeping Best healthy and a split in the backfield will definitely do that.

A couple of more updates from Draft Sharks…

Lions TE Brandon Pettigrew has dropped about 10 pounds this offseason. He’s back down to the 255 he played at in college. “I like the 255, being able to move,” Pettigrew said. “Strength thrills, but speed kills, and I still think I can get it done in the blocking game as well.” After his yards-per-catch average dropped to 10.2 this past year, look for that to jump back up towards the 11.4 mark he posted in his rookie season.

Lions WR Nate Burleson recently underwent elbow surgery to have fluid drained and a bursa sac removed. He injured the elbow last November and was hoping it’d heal on its own. It’s continued to swell though, so Burleson will undergo what the Detroit Free Press calls a “minor” procedure. It sounds like Burleson will be fine for the start of training camp, but we’ll continue to monitor his progress.

My View: I’d love to see Pettigrew pick up that yard-per-catch and in particular that yard-after-catch. He’s a big target for Stafford and can continue to develop into a Pro Bowl caliber tight end in my option. Burleson’s surgery sounds minor, so that’s a good thing. The Lions finely found a receiver who could take some pressure off of Calvin Johnson. Big things could be coming from the Lions receiving corps with the addition of rookie Titus Young in the slot.

One of my favorite fantasy football sites is DraftSharks and they have some interesting news about Lions WR Calvin Johnson and RB Kevin Smith. It’s never too early for fantasy football!

Lions WR Calvin Johnson may only have scratched the surface of his ability last season. The Detroit Free Press reports that Megatron had some nice things to say about the team’s new rookie QB. “Offense is looking good,” the young stud said. “[QB Matthew] Stafford’s doing a good job early… He throws a nice, tight spiral. Throws a hard ball. He has a big arm, so it’s nice to see that.” After seeing 5 different QBs in ’08, Calvin will look forward to some consistency at QB. He scored in 7 straight games with Dan Olrovsky at QB. Imagine what he’ll do with a better QB.

Lions RB Kevin Smith will have plenty of opportunity to have a big year. Mlive.com is reporting that the Lions have installed more power running plays for Smith under new OC Scott Linehan. The Lion offense was an inconsistent mess last year. Having a plan for Smith is a step in the right direction. A few of our writers are very high on this kid.

I for one am very excited about Kevin Smith in 2009, and it’s not just because my team is named “Kevin Smith Fan Club”. I think in a real offensive system, he can be a dominant back and really help take the pressure off whoever the starting quarterback is.

A look at the Detroit Lions and their upcoming fantasy football rankings. I think the only guy I would even think about taking is Calvin Johnson. When healthy he’s going to produce and folks, he’s healthy!

Read Juggernaut Index No. 19: Well, at least the Ford family’s other business is thriving at Yahoo! Sports

In what would be an amazing recovery from Lisfranc surgery, Lions running back Kevin Jones is looking great in practice and might be ready for a few carries in Week 3. As always Killer Kowalski is all over it…

Read Kevin Jones expected to play next week vs. Philly at MLive

My View: Great news for the Lions and my fantasy team in the Leelanau League!

It’s been a few years since I did this, but just got an email asking, so it’s back! This is your personal invite to join me and other Leelanau sports fans as we see who can pick the best bracket during the 2007 March Madness NCAA Tournament.

Traditionally I don’t fair very well, as I am a homer (pick MSU every year) or just plain stupid (pick Kansas to the Final Four every year), but it’s still fun and I look forward to beating all of you.

In order to join the group, just follow this link.

You will need a Yahoo! account to enter, and that should do it. Any questions or problems leelanausportsguy@sportspig.com.

Note: If you have a Yahoo! Account you can follow (and hopefully join) the action at http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/men/group/60656!

Fantasy Football Champs is starting to release 2006-07 fantasy football info and have this little nugget about new Lions quarterback Jon Kitna…

QB Jon Kitna, Lions – The Joey Harrington experiment has ended after 4 seasons, and now the Lions offense will be put in the hands of solid veteran Jon Kitna. He has been a backup in Cincinnati for the last 2 seasons, but notably threw 26 TD passes and racked up 3500+ yards with the team in 2003 when Carson Palmer was a rookie. He is a solid leader and throws a good deep ball even though he lacks a strong arm. He is also good at reading the defense before the snap and knows how to spread the ball around to the right receivers. He should build a fine chemistry with rising star Roy Williams, and the pair should excel while under the direction of new offensive coordinator Mike Martz. Kitna should bring stability and consistency to the position that was gravely lacking with Harrington at the controls, and the Lions young offense should finally start playing up to its potential. Kitna could easily throw 25 TD’s and be a top 10 QB.

I am sure most Lions fans would love 25 touchdowns as long as the INTs are under 10 or so. Kitna could be a good fit with the Martz system, but part of me wants to see what Josh McCown could do as well. Either way I think the Lions are better off without Joey and I look for Roy Williams and Kevin Jones to have better seasons because of consistent quarterback play.

For great fantasy info visit Fantasy Football Champs

Yahoo! Sports Fantasy guru Brandon Funston breaks down a very early season look at fantasy football and the quarterback position. He likes the possiblity of either Jon Kitna or Josh McCown in a Mike Martz offense being a solid choice as a No. 2 quarterback on your fantasy roster.

I know for me it’s never too early to start thinking fantasy football and I am a sucker for my hometown players! I am sure I will have either Kitna or McCown on at least one of my teams!

Here’s what he had to say…

Detroit: The thought of Mike Martz at the helm of the Lions offense has substantially increased the early draft values of Detroit’s skill position players, with the exception of the QB position, where Jon Kitna and Josh McCown are set to battle it out for top gun honors. Drafts held before August may not offer the benefit of clarity to how this situation is going to play out. Once a winner is determined, that player stands to become an enticing No. 2 fantasy option given Martz’s system. As of now, though, it’s guesswork as to who that player will be, although Kitna has been working with the top unit and claims that he is the starter. I think McCown, with his running skills, might have a little higher upside, but I’d be very comfortable with Kitna as a backup if I knew he was clearly the Lions No. 1.

Read At a Glance: Quarterbacks at Yahoo! Sports

I hadn’t looked at the Freep this morning, but they have a nice article on Martz and some of his early thoughts on the Lions…

Read Lions’ Martz: Players grossly out of shape in the Freep

Magglio Ordonez’ first season in Detroit didn’t go the way he wanted. His bad knee was fine, but Ordonez got hit with a hernia and missed the first three months. Then to top it off, his former team won the World Series.

This season in Detroit he is looking at contributing in a big way. All reports say he is 100% healthy and ready to go. He is going to participate in the World Baseball Classic for Venezuela, but his main focus remains the Tigers.

His health alone would make the Tigers better than last season, especially if he can recapture his averages in Chicago. The fate of the 2006 Tigers rests on Maggs and Carlos Guillen. Both must be healthy and playing at a high level for the Tigers to reach .500 and have any chance at a Wild Card.

Read Ordonez more at home in second year with Tigers at MLive
Read Only pain Ordonez has is Chicago blues in the Freep
Read Magglio Ordonez: Fully Recovered at RotoWire.com

Here’s a nice article talking about some other Tigers to watch this spring…

Read Nine Tigers stories to follow in the Detroit News

Here’s a look at the top 10 preseason fantasy baseball rankings for our Detroit Tigers. Some surprises for sure, I also think that Carlos Guillen will do better than they predict. Granderson could be a real good sleeper, especially in a league without alot of other Tiger fans.

Read Top 10 Tigers fantasy players at DetroitTigers.com

Spartans lose.

Lions lose.

My fantasy teams lose.

Now I have to fly the block “M” logo the rest of the college football season.

I just want to grab Dave Baldwin (Spartan Offensive Coordinator) and shake some sense into him…

Here’s something I just stumbled across on Google…

Distribution Set for October Launch, Ad Sales Under Way

Golden, Colo., (PRIMEZONE) — HumWare Media Corporation (Pink Sheets:HMWM) today announced its wholly owned subsidiary HumWare Media Franchise Corporation is launching its Fantasy Sports Reporter Magazine in Michigan. The Company also announced that the magazine would be ready to publish and distribute in October.

Published bi-monthly, Fantasy Sports Reporter magazine is comprised of both a national and local section that is distributed through a controlled circulation method. The local franchisee or “Associate Publisher” secures the exclusive rights to publish, market and sell advertising within the local section of the magazine. Franchisees are also given rights to market HumWare’s portfolio of private labeled fantasy games and promotional software.

More info: www.fantasysportsreporter.com

My View: You can never get enough fantasy sports in my opinion! It looks like they are publishing it in all the major cities. I love fantasy sports, and play in about 8 football leagues every year, but there are so many sources for information, it’s hard to say if this is going to payoff. Time will tell. They do feature the FSR Knockout Girls, so you know that will only help. It’s amazing how many sports sites (especially fantasy sports sites) that feature girls or girls of the month. I shouldn’t be surprised though, with how many cheerleader shots you see during games and even video games these days.