Fantasy Football

My apologies for interruptions in this week's blog schedule. I was actually doing real reporting for a change. (I know, crazy talk.) But I still had time to stay on top of my many fantasy football leagues. I completed another draft last week, and I have three more between now and next Thursday's regular season kickoff. I've noticed some trends in the drafts I've conducted so far. Quarterbacks are flying off the board in the first few rounds. There isn't a consensus on the order of the top running backs.

The great Baltimore earthquake of 2011 has come and gone, and now that we have been allowed back in the building on Calvert Street, I can get back to writing about important things. Like your fantasy football team. The NFL lockout altered the fantasy football schedule for many owners. The glossy publications they sell at the supermarket are pretty much worthless because they went to print before free agency. It's hard to get a read on the new faces because they didn't have organized team workouts to get acclimated with their new places.

There are very few slam-dunk picks in fantasy football. For years, owning LaDainian Tomlinson guaranteed you a spot in the playoffs. Peyton Manning has been an elite fantasy QB for more than a decade. And though he's now in the twilight of his career, Terrell Owens used to be good for 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns a season. At the tight end position, the debate in the fantasy world was always Tony Gonzalez v. Antonio Gates. Gonzalez may be the best tight end in NFL history, but his days of Pro Bowl productivity are long gone.

The NFL players and owners are reportedly oh-so close to reaching a new collective bargaining agreement that will unlock the doors to stadiums and practice facilities so we can get back to football as we know it. I never expected the season to get delayed. I've said all along that this would be a deadline-driven deal, and that the conflict would get resolved once the season neared (I wasn't in the minority by saying that).   Still, I don't know about you, but the lack of offseason workouts and free agency this spring and knowing that I won't get to travel to Westminster for Ravens training camp has thrown off my biological clock.

We got our first glimpse at the Ravens' 2011 schedule Tuesday night, and the season opener against the Steelers and a very Harbaugh Thanksgiving were two of the most notable games. I was able to sit down and digest the Ravens' schedule this morning, and here are five random observations: 1. Steelers week begins the second the lockout ends: The hype machine was ratcheted up before the Ravens’ 2010 season opener against the Jets, and it’s going to kick into another gear this year.

In a recent appearance on 105.7 The Fan, former Broncos running back Terrell Davis suggested that the Ravens were under-utilizing Ray Rice to keep his market value down. Asked about this on Monday, Ravens wide receiver Derrick Mason said the physical toll that backs take require teams to “bring in two good backs.” “I don’t think they’re trying to keep the value of a running back down,” Mason said on “The Norris & Davis Show. " “They understand that when you have a back like Ray -- a very good back -- but to give him the ball 25, 30 times a game, it’s a wear and tear on your body.

When Ray Rice punched out more than 2,000 total yards of offense last season, he was a prize catch on every fantasy draft board in the country. When he started out this season with four pedestrian games, the Ravens' third-year running back was getting grilled. On Sunday, he answered the critics. Big time. "It's funny," Rice said. "People take the fantasy football stuff serious. I try not to let anybody down. At the same time, I've faced some tough fronts this year. So today, fantasy owners that drafted me, I got you some points, now give me some slack.