Here’s a list of players I just can’t see myself drafting in 2012 and why:

Peyton Manning (DEN) – Manning certainly has some potential and may be a surprise here on the list. He’s trying to come back from injury, but the greater concerns to me are his transition to a new team and his tough slate (including cold weather games). He’s definitely a QB1 I just think with all the hype surrounding him he’ll go earlier in drafts than I will be willing to invest.

Frank Gore (SF) – His role is going to decline this year, but the question is how much? With so many backs on the depth chart with some ability the touches are simply not going to be there. Throw in his subpar numbers a year ago (no 100-yard games over last 8 and 8 total TD’s on season) and I hope to do better for my RB2.

Jahvid Best (DET) – There’s no questioning his ability to make plays, but the concussion problems are the icing on the cake for his growing list of durability concerns. He has a current ADP of 80.42 as the 29th overall RB off the board. I favor some other names that surround him on the list such as Mark Ingram, Ben Tate, Willis McGahee and Peyton Hillis.

James Starks (GB) – Starks teased owners last year with the fast start and the promise of being the No. 1 RB in the Packers’ high-octane attack. Yet even with Ryan Grant no longer in the picture, there’s little to be excited about with Starks. You’re better off waiting around and taking a late stab at Alex Green, who could supplant Starks if his struggles continue.

Randy Moss (SF) – After not playing last season, Moss’ return to the league has been highly touted.  I am having a tough time envisioning him suddenly being fantasy relevant, something he hasn’t been since 2009. Alex Smith is not going to light up the world and consistency is going to be too tough to come by for the veteran.

Chad Johnson (MIA) – I am pretty sure I’ve got his name right. Ochocinco died in New England, where he struggled to learn the playbook. Winning a starting job in Miami might be in reach, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into fantasy success. At 34, Johnson no longer has the physical advantage he possessed a few years ago.

Kenny Britt (TEN) – Injuries, suspensions, and stupidity. Those are not great combinations for a player on your fantasy roster. Britt has all the talent in the world, but there are simply too many hurdles that will need to be cleared for him to be anything more than a roster stash in redraft leagues.

Jacksonville Jaguars – With Maurice Jones-Drew’s holdout going nowhere, even he’s not appealing to me. Throw in a ridiculous workload the past two seasons and a decline should be expected. The rest of the team is terrible and though there are talented players there, I just don’t want have to count on this offense period.

Kicker & Defense/ST – OK I guess my league rules require me to draft a kicker and a Team Defense/ST. However, I will not even think about either until the LAST TWO ROUNDS.  Do not waste a pick any earlier.

Fantasy Football fantasy advice, do not draft list, peyton manning, frank gore, jahvid best, james starks, randy moss, chad johnson

Listening to Chad Ochocinco talk on ESPN's “NFL Live” on Tuesday was just another reminder of why the Cincinnati Bengals need to just buy out his contract for $3 million and say goodbye.

While I did support his open-ended criticisms of the organization, he lost a ton of credibility when he told viewers he was going to change his name back to Chad Johnson as if anyone really cared.

"I don't have a choice right now," Ochocinco told ESPN's Trey Wingo. "I've done enough with the Ocho thing."

If the “Ocho thing” is spending your time doing bad reality TV shows rather than working to get better as a TEAM and a football player then following it up with a subpar season than yeah I guess it’s over.

Bengals’ coach Marvin Lewis responded to questions about Chad reaching out to the Patriots via Twitter to bring him to New England by saying, “Belichick is smarter than that”.

For the first time in a while I agree with Lewis’ assessment. It appears that a divorce is coming soon!

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Fantasy Sports Girl Jenn has the Cincinnati Bengals camp preview:

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Chad Ochocinco and Twitter... A match made in heaven.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that the Bengals wideout has embraced the new form of social media as a way to express himself. Ochocinco has already used the application as a way to entertain, express, and now get back at the media.

Ochocinco began posting yesterday in response to Mike Golic's (from Mike and Mike in the Morning) criticism about the wideout. Here is the "tweets" sent yesterday by Ochocinco.

OGOchoCinco: Oh it's on again, I want to fight Mike Golic now, always got something negative to say, how about this, you've gained all that weight yo ...

OGOchoCinco: Golic If y'all don't shut up I am gonna retire and come take over your damn show, keep it up!!!!

OGOchoCinco: I am going to Bristol after mini camp, they getting out of hand with the disrespect!!!! Child Please

Golic didn't take the bait but did talk about it on his show today. Mike and Mike: Ochocinco Challenges Golic

However, Ocho wasn't done yet... Today Skip Bayless was a target of one of his "tweets:"

OGOchoCinco: Skip Bayless is a dried up yogurt raisin with no sports background!!!! He gets a check for saying the dumbest shit!

The Bengals wide receiver is back to being himself in regards to his trashtalking, flashy and boastful ways. As for Bengals fans... Just embrace it. Let's face it, the OC has always been at his best when he is having fun. This is his way of expressing himself. I am glad to see it back, and I can't wait to see what 9 and 85 are able to do this season with them both being healthy.

Follow Chad on Twitter

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Normally, the Bengals offseason is quiet and full of disappointment, highlighted by a less-than-stellar draft. But, something unexpected is going on down on the river at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals are putting together what looks to be a phenomenal offseason. Full of good signings, good trades (yes that's right trades) and capped off by a very good draft. Here are the highlights and why there's reason for hope.

Signing of Tank Johnson - Put his previous off-field stuff aside (it was more than two seasons ago now) and this could be an impact signing. Tank is just that - a tank on the defensive line. The Bengals d-line was their weakest area on the 12th-ranked squad from last year. They were quiet, but typically not very impactful. Tank is not an Albert Haynesworth impact player, but he will bring further stoutness and depth to the line

Signing of Roy Williams - This could go down as one of the better signings in the Marvin Lewis era. Some say Williams doesn't play hard enough. He flourished in Dallas when his coach was Mike Zimmer, who will now be his coach again. Williams brings a nasty, hard-hitting style to a team that desperately needed that. He can have an impact on the run game and on third downs, two areas the Bengals were woeful in last year. Williams was a 5-time pro bowler and I think he's going to improve this team. Ask yourself this. Is he better than Dexter Jackson?

Trading for Brian Leonard - This one went down yesterday where the Bengals traded DT Orien Harris to the Rams for tailback Brian Leonard. The Bengals hadn't made a trade this century, literally, so to hear of such a move showed that things might actually be done differently finally by Mike & Marvin. Leonard is a talented runner who offers a complete package of blocking, running and catching. He's coming off an injury, and will not be an elite running back but could be the elusive third down/change of pace back the Bengals have needed. Leonard could also be used, as the Rams have used him, as the fullback or a split back. In short, Leonard upgrades and adds depth to the backfield with a guy that is a high character, hard working guy.

Signing Laveranues Coles - The Bengals decided to let TJ Housmandzadeh walk via free agency. They proceeded to replace him with a similar WR in Coles. Coles will make a nice weapon for Carson Palmer and will compliment Chad Johnson and the batch of the young WRs they have (Jerome Simpson, Andre Caldwell and Chris Henry). I don't think the Bengals will miss TJ much, with Coles on the field.

The drafted players - Now, all of the excellent talented the Bengals drafted in April won't mean anything if Mike and his family of misfits can't get the players signed under contracts. There can be no holdouts. Assuming, that since all other  signs show a new way of doing things, the Bengals sign all  the draft picks promptly (and they've already signed DE Michael Johnson), this could go down as one of the best drafts the Bengals have put together. Rey Maualuga could prove to be a beast of a player. Combining him with Keith Rivers in the middle of the field could have a foundation of solid LBs for years to come. Maualuga will share time with Dhani Jones, who might be able to help teach Rey some things about how to play in the NFL. As mentioned, the Bengals were the 12th ranked defense last year, and adding Maualuga and Michael Johnson to this mix only improves the squad. Throw in first round pick Andre Smith, who will come in and start on day one at left tackles, now that Levi Jones has been released, and the Bengals have improved their biggest area of weakness, the offensive line. In the fourth round, the Bengals took center Johnathan Luigs who will likely be the starting center and will stabilize another area of weakness.

 In short, through free agency, trades and the draft, the Bengals have been unBengal-like. They've made quality moves that have added depth, talent and filled glaring holes in a team that was defecient in many areas. I'm not ready to pronounce that they're a playoff team, but I'm sure they've improved the team and will show those improvements through more wins.

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It has been looking less and less likely that the Bengals would be dealing Chad Ocho Cinco for the past couple of weeks. Whatever slim hopes there may have been that the team would trade its disgruntled receiver were smahed in by head coach Marvin Lewis during his Tuesday press conference.

"I dont know why people continue with this speculation of moving Chad," Lewis said. "I think it's been told many times and we've reiterated now for I don't know (long). But Chad is not getting moved. So we won’t speculate on any of our players. Receivers position, I don’t know that any team doesn't go through a draft without drafting a wideout. I'm sure there will be at least 32 receivers taken by 32 teams so chances are we'll take a wideout at some point."

I don't want to see the Bengals just give the guy away, he still is there best playmaker on offense. However, I am not convinced that we will ever see the guy that used to be Chad Johnson, a Pro Bowl caliber happily content receiver, in a Bengals' uniform ever again.

On a side note, I am getting sick of hearing TJ Houshmandzadeh rip the organization. He's gone and in a new place. He needs to get over it and shut his mouth. Getting rid of Who's Your Mama removed one of the tumors plaguing this team, but if the Bengals want to get rid of the entire cancer it's time to at least listen to offers on Chad Whatever he's going by now.

NFL bengals, chad johnson, marvin lewis, tj houshmandzadeh

The Bengals began their voluntary off-season workouts on Monday and once again wide receiver Chad Ocho Cinco was absent.

Ocho Cinco has not been in contact with the Bengals recently, according to ESPN.com.

Last year Cincinnati passed up trade offers because the team was unwilling to take an $8 million salary-cap hit. This year that cap number is reduced to $4.87 million to trade Ocho Cinco, making it more of a possibility. Will they trade him now?

It was not all bad news on the Bengals front though as quarterback Carson Palmer annoucned that he "is 100%".

"I've been cleared. My elbow feels great and I just have to keep going and get the small mechanical things that I normally do this time of year," Palmer said during his press conference.

Is Carson healthy? What is going to happen to Chad? We get the answers straight from the source as we welcome Bengals.com's Geoff Hobson to our LIVE Internet radio show today from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.

CATCH THE DAILY DOSE ON BLOGTALKRADIO.COM

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President HopeBama is in the White House. And many of us still feel hopeless regarding the backward direction of the economy. When TJ Housmandzadeh signed with the Seahawks and Cedric Benson was hinting at signing with the Texans, that hopeless feeling crept into Bengaldom (if it wasn't already hanging over PBS already). Then the Bengals sign Cedric Benson and it looks a little up. Now comes the signing of veteran WR Lavernaues Coles today. On the surface it looks like a great signing. He should be a super target for Carson Palmer and doesn't have any character issues. He and Chad Johnson might actually make a nice combo for Carson Palmer. Hope springs eternal now again for Bengal fans. The two biggest question marks have been turned into periods or exclamation points. Now, if they can find a center, draft some o-linemen and d-linemen perhaps they'll round the corner.

This, my friends, is the same kind of hope that we hear everyday from our elected officials that things will turn around. Coles and Benson are the Bengals equivalent to a stimulus package or a bailout. A lot of hype and very uncertain actual results. But it does give hope. But false hope, or hope unfulfilled, leads to hopelessness - a feeling all-too-common amongst Bengals fans. So raise your cans of Who Dey beer and toast to hope, and then hope.

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According to SI.com's Peter King, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis believes Carson Palmer will not need postseason elbow surgery, and it's also quite likely that Palmer will play before the end of he year.

Kings writes about Palmer in his Monday QB, "I think most everyone missed a important tidbit about Carson Palmer last week -- most everyone but the faithful listeners to the "Opening Drive'' on Sirius NFL Radio. Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis believes Carson Palmer will not need postseason elbow surgery, and it's also quite likely that Palmer will play before the end of he year. I've heard people say, "Why risk Palmer's future?'' And they're right -- if there's any risk in injuring the elbow by playing, he shouldn't play. But if there isn't, he should. The other 52 players are playing each week, so why shouldn't their team leader play if he's healthy enough?"

This would be good news for Palmer, but don't expect it make a huge difference for the Bengals who have issues all over the ball. There was some speculation that the team's franchise quarterback may need Tommy John surgery, so if indeed surgery is no longer necessary there won't be nearly as much of a long-term impact.

However, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the quarterback is still singing a different tune. Palmer, who has been ruled out for Week 13, says the ligament and tendon in his elbow are detached from the bone. He is targeting Dec. 7 to resume throwing, and how the joint responds will likely determine further action. Palmer is out for the next two weeks. The Bengals face Washington in Week 15. 

Imagine that Marvin Lewis singing a different tune than the quarterback himself, just another indicator of how poorly organized the Bengals' franchise really is. 

King also made mention of Bengals' wideout Chad Ocho Cinco in his column.

"It's idiocy for the Bengals to consider bringing Chad Ocho Cinco back for the 2009 season. What's the point? That the Bengals will be able to puff their chests out and say, "Chad Johnson's not going to shoot his way off this team. No one is.'' Great. So you've proven a point. You can hold onto an ineffective player, and if he goes somewhere else, he could have a Randy Moss-like season in another uniform next year. Big deal. Johnson has been repentant since the incident in Pittsburgh, but so what? There will be another one soon, either before the end of this year or during the offseason. Just move on and cut ties. It'll be better for both parties."

The two draft picks that were offered up by the Redskins seem pretty good now, the Bengals will not be as lucky the next time around.

NFL bengals, carson palmer, marvin lewis, chad johnson, chad ocho cinco

The Steelers rolled the Bengals on Thursday night 27-10, here are some fantasy notes from the game...

STEELERS
--Ben Roethlisberger: Big Ben completed 17 of 30 passes for 243 and a TD and ran for another score. Owners that took a flyer on him in this match-up were rewarded. He remain a top 10 fantasy option at quarterback most weeks.

--Willie Parker: Imagine this, Parker is hurt again. Fast Willie tweaked a knee injury that cost him four weeks earlier this season. He left the game after a 15-yard run early in the thrid quarter and did not return, finishing with just 37 yards on 14 carries. Mewelde Moore gets a huge boost in value if Parker's injury forces him out of action yet again.

--Santonio Holmes: Holmes was off to a great game prior to suffering a concussion. The thrid-year wideout finished the night with 5 catches for 84 yards despite leaving the game early in the third quarter. Stay tuned to his status for Week 13.

--Hines Ward: Ward had a disappointing night, only managing to catch 1 ball for 37 yards. Still consider him a solid WR2 option against most match-ups, but be prepared for the occasional dud performance.

--Heath Miller: After missing two games due to an ankle injury Miller returned to grab 4 receptions for 44 yards and a TD against the Bengals. He has still been a bit of disappointment this season and is a marginal option as a starting tight end.

BENGALS
--Ryan Fitzpatrick: Fitzpatrick completed 17 of 30 passes for a paltry 168 yards and a TD. He has now topped 200 yards only once and has just six touchdown passes in seven starts. If you are relyinig on him right now you are in trouble.

--Cedric Benson: Playing behind a patchwork offensive line Benson only managed 35 yards on 16 carries. He has averaged less than 2.5 yards per carry in two straight games since rushing for 104 yards Week 9 against the Jaguars.

--TJ Houshmandzadeh: T.J. turned his worst outing of the season on Thursday, collecting just 20 yards on 4 catches. With Chad Johnson out of the line-up the Steelers focused their attention on Houshmandzadeh and the veteran struggled. Long-term he's still a starting option, particularly in PPR leagues.

--Chad Johnson: Ocho Stinko continue to disappoint fantasy owners by being deactivated for Thursday's game for reportedly walking out of a team meeting. Johnson clearly does not want to be in Cincinnati and this could get ugly as the season comes to a hault. Regardless, he's not a legitimate fantasy starter moving forward.

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