ESPN Fantasy Football Blog

Posted by Christopher Harris

When pro athletes talk about the possibility of getting cut, they refer to "The Turk." When The Turk comes for you, you wind up "decapitated on the general manager's office floor." You wind up out of a job.

That's why Saturday was a white-knuckle day for a lot of NFL players on roster bubbles. Rumors abounded that some big names might get axed so teams could save money, or make room for more promising youngsters. And while one quasi-fantasy-relevant name did go (Dominic Rhodes, click here for my spin), most of the couple hundred players released this weekend were bit players upon whom fantasy owners weren't relying much.

But before we get to the nitty-gritty of the cutdown news, a few injuries could wind up influencing your fantasy league. First off, Kevin Jones of the Bears suffered a torn ligament in his ankle while (rather foolishly) sticking the landing on a two-foot jump out of bounds in Chicago's final exhibition game. He's out for the season. This is mixed news for Matt Forte owners; on the one hand, Jones was perhaps in line to steal a decent number of touches this season, and Forte looks like one of the most rock-solid 20-carries-per-game rushers in the NFL right now. On the other hand, Jones was a clear handcuff for Forte owners, and now they're left without one, as I don't believe the other Adrian Peterson or Garrett Wolfe could lay claim to an unquestioned starting role if Forte gets hurt. In New Orleans, Billy Miller tore an ACL and is out for the season, which led to the Saints trading for David Thomas, formerly of the Patriots. Jeremy Shockey is obviously the starter at tight end, but Thomas is a good receiver and could make inroads in an explosive offense if Shockey doesn't stay healthy.

Giants defensive tackle Jay Alford is out for the season with a partially torn ACL. New York's defense, which looked like perhaps the best unit in fantasy going into training camp, has now suffered injuries to Alford, Chris Canty, Michael Boley and Aaron Ross, each of whom will be at least questionable for Week 1. I still think the Giants should be excellent on D. But many more injuries, and we may have to revisit that assessment. And Seahawks corner Marcus Trufant's disk in his back hasn't improved, and he'll begin the season on the physically unable to perform list. Seattle's secondary looks flat-out awful without its best corner, and will be a sweet matchup going forward for opposing quarterbacks. Now to cut-down day:

Jeff Garcia, QB. Garcia was signed as JaMarcus Russell insurance this winter, but his abrasive personality never seemed well-suited to be an unproven kid signal-caller's backup. Russell didn't play consistently in the preseason, but Garcia couldn't get healthy during training camp and played in just one exhibition game. There was never any reason to handcuff Garcia to Russell (um, the Raiders' passing game is awful) anyway, so this isn't a landscape-changer. Some combination of Charlie Frye and Bruce Gradkowski will back up Russell.

Lorenzo Booker, RB. With Brian Westbrook's health so often questionable, Booker figured to have value both last season and this, but it never really materialized. Instead, the Eagles took LeSean McCoy, and seem to be in love with his ability. The Dolphins really snookered Philly by getting a fourth-rounder for Booker last season.

Antonio Pittman, RB. Pittman was Steven Jackson's backup last season, so when Jackson got hurt, Pittman played a lot but didn't impress (296 yards on 79 carries). This spring he lost backup duties to Kenneth Darby, then both Pittman and Darby were passed by Samkon Gado, who looks like the closest thing Jackson has to a handcuff right now. Unfortunately, Gado suffered a rib cartilage injury in St. Louis' final preseason game, so you probably don't need to own him either, Jackson owners. The Rams also cut undrafted rookie rusher Chris Ogbonnaya.

Arian Foster, RB. I referenced Foster as a possible deep sleeper for the short-yardage role in Houston a couple weeks ago, but it isn't happening. The Texans tried to let Foster show his skills Friday night. To my eyes, the kid looked all right, but apparently it wasn't enough. Foster might end up on the practice squad, but Chris Brown is Steve Slaton's primary threat going into this season, with Ryan Moats also on the roster.

James Johnson, RB. The Bengals liked Johnson well enough during his rookie season to work him into the offense in the final few games, but Bernard Scott shot past everyone on Cincy's depth chart to become Cedric Benson's backup, and the team also decided to keep both Brian Leonard and DeDe Dorsey.

Ian Johnson, RB. Johnson is the Boise State kid who shook up the world on that famous Statue of Liberty play in the Fiesta Bowl against Adrian Peterson's Oklahoma squad a few years ago, then proposed to his cheerleader girlfriend in the end zone. One can only hope A.P. wasn't the guy who lobbied for Johnson's release by way of revenge. Albert Young looks like the Vikes' third-string rusher.

Carey Davis, RB. Davis was the Steelers' starting fullback last season, so his release was kind of a surprise. Davis also inherited short-yardage duties for a time in '08, though he didn't find the end zone. Coach Mike Tomlin says Willie Parker won't be a committee back to start the season, but given Fast Willie's short-yardage history, it won't be a shock to see Rashard Mendenhall vulture some touchdowns.

Kregg Lumpkin, RB. Lumpkin worked his way up to No. 3 on the Packers' depth chart last season, but then hurt a hamstring and went on IR. The improvement of DeShawn Wynn made the oft-injured Lumpkin expendable.

Quinton Ganther, RB. The Titans decided to keep Chris Henry as their fourth rusher, which made Ganther expendable. Rookie Javon Ringer pretty much has the No. 3 spot locked up behind Chris Johnson and LenDale White, and could be a waiver-wire name to know during the season.

Cedric Peerman, RB. The Ravens took Peerman in the sixth round of this year's draft, which was unfortunate because Baltimore's depth chart at running back is stacked. Peerman is a tough between-the-tackles rusher, but he wasn't going to make this team.

Kory Sheets, RB. Sheets, a hybrid halfback/fullback out of Purdue, entered training camp on equal footing with fellow rookie Glen Coffee but quickly faded into the background. The 49ers now view Coffee as a potential star, and Sheets might be destined for someone's practice squad.

Ronald Curry, WR. The Rams acquired Curry from the Lions this spring for defensive tackle Orien Harris, and for a moment it looked as though he might make the team as a top-three receiver. It didn't last. St. Louis will start Donnie Avery and Laurent Robinson, with Keenan Burton and maybe Derek Stanley playing the slot. Veteran Tim Carter was also cut from the receiving corps.

David Tyree, WR. He's a name you know because of his famous "helmet catch" a couple Super Bowls ago, but Tyree missed all of last season with hamstring and knee injuries, and didn't figure to make the Giants, who have a lot of young players vying for time at wideout. Tyree is supposedly getting interest from other teams, while Sinorice Moss and Derek Hagan will apparently both make the New York roster.

Adrian Arrington, WR. Arrington was a favorite of Saints coach Sean Payton, but he hurt a toe in last year's training camp and went on IR. He got caught in a roster crunch this weekend, as he couldn't stay on the field because of an injured hamstring. After all the talk about who might be New Orleans' fifth receiver, the team will evidently go with four: Marques Colston, Lance Moore, Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem. I like Meachem as a potential waiver-wire add during the season.

David Patten, WR. Patten never really gained any traction in Cleveland, so his release isn't a huge shock. Josh Cribbs might be the Week 1 starter opposite Braylon Edwards, with rookies Mohamed Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie getting the occasional look and Mike Furrey working out of the slot. You probably don't need to own any of these guys except Edwards, who'll face constant double-teams but get a ton of looks.

D.J. Hackett, WR. Hackett, who was a name with some fantasy buzz around him when he played for Seattle and then Carolina, was cut by the Redskins, meaning seventh-round rookie Marko Mitchell has made the roster. Malcolm Kelly is the No. 2 receiver in Washington right now, but Mitchell could be a really deep sleeper as the season progresses.

Robert Ferguson, WR. The Falcons lost Harry Douglas for the season with a torn ACL, but Ferguson still couldn't make the team. Brian Finneran and Marty Booker are the Nos. 3 and 4 receivers in Atlanta.

Courtney Taylor, WR. Taylor and Logan Payne each got chances to play in the Seahawks' injury-ravaged season last year, and neither impressed. Now each guy is on the street, as Deion Branch has survived cut-down day and will serve as a backup to T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Nate Burleson, along with Ben Obomanu and rookie Deon Butler.

Alex Smith, TE. The former Buccaneer lost out on a roster spot with the Patriots to Benjamin Watson, who'll stick around New England for one more season, and Michael Matthews, whom the Pats acquired in a trade. Chris Baker is the top pass-catching tight end in this offense.

Leonard Pope, TE. Pope was a stud at the University of Georgia and seemed like a good fit for the pro-style game, but he never consistently produced and didn't make the Cardinals roster despite Ben Patrick's four-game suspension to open the season. Expect to see Dominique Byrd as the starter in Patrick's absence; you don't want to roster either guy.

Michael Matthews, TE. Matthews was expected to be the Giants' No. 2 tight end behind Kevin Boss this spring, but Darcy Johnson outplayed him in camp, and rookie Travis Beckum is also in the mix. So New York traded Matthews to the Patriots, who earlier had cut Alex Smith and traded David Thomas to the Saints. Matthews is mostly a blocker, though.

Andrew Walter, QB. Now we enter the backup quarterback portion of our program. Matt Cassel made the backup spot behind Tom Brady famous last season, but neither Kevin O'Connell nor Walter will be playing that understudy role. For now, the only other signal-caller on the Patriots' roster is undrafted rookie Brian Hoyer, but one assumes New England will be acquiring a "real" backup soon.

Brian Brohm, QB. I remember so clearly draft day a couple springs ago, when all the talking heads in Bristol were chastising NFL teams for not taking a chance on Brohm. "Natural West Coast offense leader!" they shouted. "Will haunt the teams who passed on him!" they screamed. Eighteen months later, Brohm is on the street, having been beaten out by the immortal Matt Flynn for the backup job to Aaron Rodgers.

Andre Woodson, QB. I loved Woodson at the University of Kentucky, but he's a guy whose physical tools just never matched his heart. It's worth noting that the Giants also cut rookie Rhett Bomar, so they'll go with two quarterbacks (Eli Manning and David Carr) for now.

D.J. Shockley, QB. Shockley hung around the Falcons for more than three years as a developmental quarterback, but apparently he never developed. He was cut, leaving rookie John Parker Wilson as Atlanta's third-stringer.

John David Booty, QB. Oh, the firestorm over Brett Favre having the temerity to take Booty's No. 4 jersey away from him! Yeah, now Booty has gotten the uh, boot, and it would appear that Tarvaris Jackson is safe in Minnesota. In fact, given how Jackson and Sage Rosenfels looked during the preseason, it wouldn't be surprising if Jackson is the No. 2 guy behind Favre.

Brandon Rideau, WR. For about 10 minutes this summer, the Bears were supposedly considering Rideau as their slot receiver, but that didn't last long. Rashied Davis, Devin Aromashodu and rookie Juaquin Iglesias all now figure to make the team and get a chance at slot duty.

Damion McIntosh, OT. Just thought I'd mention McIntosh, who came over from the Dolphins a few seasons ago as the guy who replaced Willie Roaf. Yeah, that didn't work out so well. McIntosh was overmatched throughout his time in Kansas City, but the fact that the Chiefs cut one of the few "established" names on their offensive line underscores what a mess that unit probably will be this season.

Matt Bryant, K. Bryant is a name you know, and he had a very nice season last year, scoring a career-high 131 points for the Buccaneers. But his long-distance abilities are pretty much gone, and Mike Nugent beat him out for the Tampa gig. You probably don't want Nugent anyway.

Graham Gano, K. Steven Hauschka finally beat out Gano in the last preseason game, and enters the season as a potential sleeper. Hauschka has a big leg and plays for a ground-based team known for relative conservatism. Of course, that doesn't mean you should draft him.

Brandon Coutu, K. The Seahawks got a very nice season out of Olindo Mare last year but provided him with camp competition from '08 draftee Coutu once again. And once again, Mare won the job. He shouldn't be much of a fantasy factor playing for Seattle.