Time to rearrange the fantasy rankings following word Hakeem Nicks broke a bone in his foot, which the team announced on Thursday. Nicks will undergo surgery on Friday and is expected to be out 12 weeks, which would push his return to sometime around training camp and the opening of the season.
Hakeem Nicks’ value takes a hit, but not too big

Cowboys WR Dez Bryant is talented. Duh. He’s big, he’s strong, he’s fast, he’s got great hands, he has great balance. Yet we are all still waiting to see how good the former first-round pick from Oklahoma State can be.
My story: Is this the year Cowboys WR Dez Bryant lives up to his potential? “We’re just going to see”

If Ray Rice holds out of training camp to land a new contract, it could put a dent into his lofty fantasy appeal.
Three and out: Will Rice hold out in 2012?

One of the best signs for the Dallas Cowboys today during their OTAs was that RB DeMarco Murray was on the field. The second-year player, who showed off some serious skills last year, is coming off a broken ankle suffered on Dec. 11. In part because of his injury, the ‘Boys lost three of their last four and missed the playoffs. When he was healthy, though, he averaged 5.5 yards per carry. The Cowboys, in fact, won all five games in which he had 20 or more carries. Clearly, he’s valuable. And now, they have him back. Murray looked, well, like himself. (Here is what I said about Murray on Total Access.) How did he feel? “It felt great just […]
Cowboys RB DeMarco Murray says he has “No limitations. I’m feeling good out there”

The Dallas Cowboys wrapped up their second day of OTAs a few minutes ago, but their first open to the media. One player not present was CB Mike Jenkins, who has made known his desire to be traded (for real at some point). He’s also rehabbing a shoulder injury, so he wouldn’t be participating anyway. A few minutes ago, coach Jason Garrett seemed pretty clear on two things: He wants Jenkins to be here, and the team isn’t trading the disgruntled defensive back. “Mike Jenkins, we believe, is a big part of our football team right now,” Garrett said. “He’s making a business decision not to be here. But we’re not going to trade him. We like Mike Jenkins, we […]
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett says “We’re not going to trade” Mike Jenkins, expects him back soon

Beanie Wells has value as a No. 2 fantasy runner, but another knee surgery is definitely cause for at least some concern.
Three and out: Fantasy concern about Beanie Wells

From 2007 to 2010, the Lions picked their version of the Big 3. After years and years of terrible drafting, Detroit grabbed WR Calvin Johnson second overall in 2007, QB Matthew Stafford first overall in 2009, and DT Ndamukong Suh second overall in 2010. That’s not bad. Three cornerstones. And each were in the era of massive, massive rookie deals. Slowly, that trio will look to get paid. And considering their production, all will deserve it. Megatron was first, and he’s slated to earn about $130 million over the next eight years. Figure Stafford is next, and then Suh. It’s a hefty task for the Lions in a salary cap era, though some would say a good problem. And so, […]
How will the Lions pay for their version of the Big 3 — Megatron, Suh, and Stafford?

Well, I’m back from a two-night stay in Detroit, which is actually Dearborn, Mich. It becomes Allen Park when you drive a mile and get to the Lions facility. That was the place where I wrote this article that is now posted on NFL.com. What else happened on my trip? Come on in… Overall feel from OTAs: I went over a bunch of this here yesterday, but the Lions did have a very business-like feel. There wasn’t the euphoria that you might expect from a team that has just started winning after being really, really terrible for so long. Maybe that’s good. They aren’t satisfied. Another sense I got was how familiar everything is for the returning players. Think about […]
Recapping this road trip: The Detroit edition

I began my conversation with Lions President Tom Lewand yesterday just hoping to get an understanding for how Detroit has turned around its once-woeful franchise. I left with a franchise-wide view on why this string of success may continue. Lewand and I spoke for a while, with him mixing in anecdotes about the two main things that have happened to spring the Lions. One is how decisions have been made without bowing to public pressure. The other is that those in power — including coach Jim Schwartz — are not satisfied. They won’t be satisfied with just making the Wild Card game. As Lewand told me, “We haven’t done anything yet. We got a Wild Card game. And I understand […]
My story: The Lions aren’t satisfied with just breaking through in 2011