Denver Broncos

Link: http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=1230
Location: Paul D. Bowlen Memorial Centre (Englewood, CO)
Dates: July 28 - August 20
Open to the public? - YES (free of charge)

1. Quentin or Garrison or Tatum or Mike or All of the Above? - Obviously the most compelling question from a fantasy standpoint is what Mike Shanahan intends to do about the running back situation. Quentin Griffin opened camp as the starter, but whether that's a nominal honor or something that Griffin can hold onto remains to be seen. Shanahan hasn't been one to use a committee approach in the past, but with four capable ball carriers on the roster, could that change? Does Garrison Hearst have to outplay Griffin and Bell to retain his roster spot? Our current projections have all four backs contributing, but that's likely to change dramatically as the depth chart becomes defined over the next month.



2. Is Lelie the real deal? And what's the contingency plan otherwise? - Ashley Lelie failed to differentiate himself in his first two seasons; showing the ability to get deep but not the consistency in his route running or making grabs over the middle. This year, with the departure of Ed McCaffrey (retirement), Shannon Sharpe (retirement) and Clinton Portis (trade), the Broncos HAVE to have Lelie develop into a capable compliment to the aging yet ever-dangerous Rod Smith. We expect Lelie to play well for the most part, figuring into the top 30 fantasy WRs at year end.



3. How many TEs can the Broncos carry on the active roster? - Shannon Sharpe was Jake Plummer's go-to receiver last year, but he'll be cracking jokes on CBS this season rather than in the Broncos locker room. Sharpe is the kind of player you don't replace easily, so Shanahan is opting for the "strength in numbers" game. During camp, the current crop of TEs (Weaver, Chamberlain, Santiago, Hape and Putzier) will be whittled down and roles will be defined. We expect Chamberlain and Weaver to make the most impact, although neither figure as compelling fantasy starters.



4. (IDP) Who is going to replace John Mobley and Ian Gold? - LBs John Mobley (waived b/c of injury) and Ian Gold (free agency) must be replaced and the team will open camp with rookie D.J. Williams, Jashon Sykes, Donnie Spragan and Terry Pierce battling for the two outside spots as compliments to MLB Al Wilson. Our IDP team expects all four to contribute, with Williams and Sykes making the biggest impact.



5. (IDP) So Champ Bailey is the best fantasy DB on the Broncos right? - There's no question that Champ Bailey's addition to the Broncos secondary will have a major impact on the entire defense. In terms of the "real" NFL, Bailey is the class of that unit. However, our IDP team believes that Bailey's presence will allow fellow CB Lenny Walls plenty of opportunities to make plays. Walls had a whopping 20 pass defenses last year, and most believe that a few more of those can be INTs this year.

Kansas City Chiefs

Link: http://www.uwrf.edu/chiefs/
Location: University of Wisconsin-River Falls (River Falls, WI)
Dates: July 29 - August 19
Open to the public? - YES (free of charge)

1. How is Tony Gonzalez' foot? - Tony Gonzalez did not participate in any mini camp practices because of a lingering stress fracture in his foot. Although the team has been mum on the subject, there has been some speculation that it continues to not respond appropriately to treatment and surgery is a possibility. This bears watching obviously because Gonzalez is a major fantasy force at the TE position, and we once again expect him to be at the top of our year end rankings.



2. Can a rehashed coordinator change the defense around? - Izod shirts aren't the only things making a comeback this summer as Gunther Cunningham returns to the defensive coordinator role he served diligently under Marty Schottenheimer. Cunningham will be asked to turn around a defense that ranked 29th in the league and 30th against the run without the benefit of any major upgrades in personnel. He plans on implementing an easier scheme that attacks more than reacts; the success of his efforts could be the difference between a Super Bowl trip and another early playoff exit.



3. Calling all right tackles! - For the first time in four seasons, the Kansas City Chiefs will not have the same starting five on the offensive line to start the season. John Tait moved along to the Bears and the Chiefs need to find a replacement among the likes of John Welbourn, Chris Bober and Brett Williams. We believe Bober, who played tackle for the Giants and signed a fairly large contract this offseason, will be the winner when all is said and done.



4. Sorting through the WR mess - How can a team that ranked 4th in passing yards last year have nary a fantasy stud at wide receiver? Because the team is balanced and happens to have extraordinary pass catchers playing TE (Gonzo) and RB (Holmes). But, we believe Eddie Kennison is among the league's most undervalued players and believe he'll finish among the top 30 despite being available on draft day much later.



5. (IDP) Is there an impact player in the house? - While the Chiefs were collectively woeful last season, and may be again this year, Greg Wesley packs a mean fantasy wallop as does LB Shawn Barber. Our IDP team expects Wesley to be the 2nd best fantasy DB this year while Barber ranks 23rd among LBs.

Oakland Raiders

Link: http://www.raiders.com/newsroom/newsroomNewsDetail.jsp?id=13055
Location: Napa Valley Marriott (Napa Valley, CA)
Dates: July 29 - August 25
Open to the public? - NO

1. Will Rich Gannon be looking over his shoulder? - Rich Gannon has been declared the starting quarterback entering training camp, and recently signed backup Kerry Collins has towed the company line while maintaining he's still a "starting caliber QB in this league." Is Gannon's surgically repaired shoulder the answer this season? Will the Raiders give Gannon a short leash? If Collins outplays him in camp, will Gannon accept a backup role?



2. Defining the running back situation - New head coach Norv Turner is searching for a running back to carry the load. He's suggested a preference for one workhorse but that belies what the Raiders have assembled on their roster. Each RB brings different strengths and weaknesses to the table, it's difficult to believe that Turner will choose one from the group and give them a preponderance of the workload. We currently recommend staying away from any and all Oakland RBs until you're looking for backup depth.



3. Is this the year Jerry Porter fulfills his potential? - Jerry Porter finally enters training camp as a starter, with veteran Jerry Rice alongside him and Tim Brown relegated to backup duty. Is this the season Porter finally fulfills his potential? Each year fantasy owners seem to expect Porter to break out, yet it's yet to come to pass. We currently expect Porter to finish among the top 30 WRs, but don't see him as a viable sleeper pick for elite status just yet.



4. Are the rookie linemen as good as advertised? - The Raiders drafted two of the top rated offensive linemen available in Robert Gallery (2nd overall pick) and Jake Grove. Gallery, considered a franchise cornerstone, will battle (and quickly beat out) Barry Sims at left tackle; allowing Sims to move to left guard. Grove will also enter camp as a starter at center thanks to the team's release of Barrett Robbins.



5. Rebuilding the defense - New defensive coordinator Rob "Son of Buddy" Ryan will have plenty of challenges as he looks to reshape a defense that finished 30th in yards allowed a season ago. He will start with a new set of tackles in Warren Sapp and Ted Washington but must get better production out of a linebacking corps absent proven playmakers (save for ILB Napolean Harris) and a secondary that must replace the Rod Woodson and hope Phil Buchanon finally lives up to his potential.



6. (IDP) Will Charles Woodson report to camp? - CB Charles Woodson intends to boycott training camp in protest over his contractual situation. Woodson was the team's franchise designee but is not interested in signing the $8.8 million one-year contract offer commensurate with being a franchise player.

San Diego Chargers

Link: http://www.chargers.com/camp/2004/
Location: Home Depot Center at Cal State - Dominguez Hills (Carson, CA)
Dates: July 30 - August 26
Open to the public? - YES (free of charge)

1. How quickly will Philip Rivers get the nod? - The Chargers must show improvement this season or the coaching staff and possibly the general manager will face the repercussions next offseason. QB Phil Rivers, drafted 4th by the Giants and traded to the Chargers, is the latest in a long line of young QBs projected as "saviors" of the franchise. Although the team hasn't committed to Rivers yet, assuming he's in camp on time, we believe he'll be thrown to the wolves as it's clear that Drew Brees isn't equipped to make a difference for a team that needs playmakers alongside all-world LaDainian Tomlinson.



2. Will anyone catch passes this year besides Tomlinson? - Eric Parker has the dubious honor of being the leading wide receiver to return from the 2003 Chargers with a stultifying 18 receptions. As confounding a player as David Boston may have been, he caught 70 passes for the Chargers last year. This season, the Chargers will field one of the worst collections of WRs in the NFL that includes journeyman Kevin Dyson, Eric Parker, Tim Dwight, Reche Caldwell and Kassim Osgood. Dyson is the highest ranked fantasy prospect, at 60th…in other words; avoid this situation unless someone breaks out convincingly in camp.



3. Does the team have five legitimate offensive linemen? - Jason Ball is the only returning starter, but he's unhappy about his contract and may hold out. The other projected starters include Roman Oben, Phil Bogle, Mike Goff, and Courtney Van Buren…it's names like these that make you realize just how special LaDainian Tomlinson is.



4. Is Antonio Gates the real deal? - Amid the Chargers woeful season, TE Antonio Gates emerged as a potential difference maker. Gates caught 22 receptions for 351 yards and 2 touchdowns in the last seven games of the season. With the state of the team's WR corps, Gates should see plenty of opportunity, and we rate him a surprise top 10 fantasy TE.



5. (IDP) Does LB Donnie Edwards have any help on defense? - In a word, NO. Our IDP team expects Edwards to be one of the 5 best fantasy linebackers, but the team has no pass rush, losing its two best linemen (Marcellus Wiley and Raylee Johnson) yet netting nothing in return.