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Welcome to issue #100 for 2005 of our Daily Email Updates. While some sites are getting cranked up, we've been rolling for more than three months now sending you the news and insights you need to keep dominating the guppies in your league. Seems like just yesterday we were talking about the NFL draft. Now we're talking about YOUR draft. Good stuff.

Big news for Javon Walker today. Yesterday, we had the Shaun Alexander signing, and now it looks like Walker will fall in line. Cool. Also remember our note from yesterday that Footballguys.com is hiring. Check out the site news below if you're one of those guys who reads Fantasy Football information and says, "I can do better than that". We're giving you your chance. Write a great article. And get rich and famous. Well, maybe not rich and famous but we'll pay you and put your material out in front of a zillion hardcore Fantasy Football junkies.

Thanks to our Will Grant for rounding up these stories tonight. We'll keep distilling the key stories down for you and sending along each day along with what we think they mean for your Fantasy Team. I hope you have a great Thursday, and let's get to it.

A. Footballguys.com Is Hiring!
I've said forever that our FBG readers are the most knowledgeable group of readers out there. If you'd like a shot to feature your work to a huge worldwide audience, now is your chance. Check out the info from the link above and let us see what you have!

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If you're looking for our killer stat breakdowns in hard copy, check out the 2005 version of our Stats Book with the link above. The 2004 version was a home run and this is more of the same.

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Javon Walker wasn't ready to discuss his reasons for arriving in town this evening for the official start of training camp, but he was willing to say this:

"Tell them I'm coming in," Walker told a Journal Sentinel reporter as he arrived at the Green Bay airport shortly after 5 p.m. "You can tell them that."

Up until Walker's arrival at Austin Straubel Airport, most in the Packers organization were under the impression he wasn't going to be present for the start of training camp. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told the Journal Sentinel a week ago that Walker would not be present when training camp started because he was unhappy with his contract.

Thus, Walker arrived at the airport in the National Football League's smallest market virtually unnoticed. Wearing a white throwback football jersey with brown stripes on the sleeves, a No. 13 on the back and the name "Marino" embroidered across his shoulders, Walker walked through the airport alone, hired a taxi outside and, after retrieving his bags inside, took off.

Even dressed in football garb, Walker, with a baseball cap pulled tightly over his eyes, seemed relatively inconspicuous and drew very little attention, in part because there were only a handful of people milling about the lower level of the airport.

Before he left, Walker spoke briefly about his intention to report to camp, but declined to discuss his reasons in detail. Three times Walker was asked directly whether he intended to report to camp and each time he answered affirmatively.

Asked if there was anything else he wanted to say about his return, he said, "No, that's it. Just tell everybody I'm coming in."

Walker (and Favre) owners along with Packer fans can breathe a little easier knowing that Walker won't be a holdout. CBS Sportsline is reporting that Walker indeed was there for the 7 pm mandatory veterans meeting Wednesday evening. While Rosenhaus will still be working toward a long-term deal for Walker, at least the Packers will be able to count on him for this season. Walker finished 2nd among all fantasy WRs last season, and 13th overall with almost 1400 yards receiving and 12 TDs.

After months of waiting for a deal, patience finally paid off for the Washington Redskins on Wednesday evening, as ESPN.com has confirmed the team has agreed to a trade sending wide receiver Rod Gardner to the Carolina Panthers for a draft choice. Without the trade, Washington would have released Gardner, a former first-round choice (2001), but a player who no longer fit into coach Joe Gibbs' plans. The draft choice that the Redskins will receive, presumably in 2006, was not immediately known.

The deal is contingent upon Gardner passing a physical examination, and it is scheduled to be administered Thursday.

Washington had made its intentions with Gardner known early in the offseason, when it granted permission for agent Joel Segal to seek potential trade scenarios. The Redskins also excused Gardner from all their offseason workouts.

By dealing Gardner, the Redskins recoup his $2.097 million base salary, which was the highest on the team, and will use that savings to help sign its 2005 draft choices. It had been rumored for much of the offseason that Carolina, which was forced to release star wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad for cap considerations in February, was interested in adding Gardner.

Carolina's depth at WR was questionable at best. 2003 standout WR Steve Smith returns from injury this season after missing most of 2004, and second year man Keary Colbert is hoping to build on his outstanding rookie season. But after those two guys, 15-year veteran Ricky Proehl and Drew Carter were considered the #3 option. (Last season Proehl finished with almost 500 yards receiving in that role.) What Gardner has that Smith and Colbert don't is the big, physical receiver that they lost in Muhammad. Colbert is 6' 0" and Smith is a small guy at 5' 9". Gardner is 6' 2" and 213. He has been a disappointment the last two seasons, finishing 34th and 45th among fantasy WRS the last two seasons although he's flashed plenty of potential with a nice 1,006 yard / 8 TD season in 2002. Hopefully the change of address will do Gardner well. Let's watch how he fares in camp, but we wouldn't be surprised to see him see significant playing time across from Smith as the Panthers try to take advantage of his size.

The Ravens' new-look offense will have to deal with some year-old issues when players suit up for training camp Monday.

Tight end Todd Heap and running back Jamal Lewis will be sidelined for the opening portion of camp, continuing last year's trend of missing pieces on offense. Team officials remain confident both Pro Bowl players will be ready for the Sept. 11 regular-season opener against the Indianapolis Colts.

Lewis, who is in his final days of a federal drug sentence, is expected to return to team drills Aug. 8, the start of the camp's second week. Heap, who is coming off ankle and shoulder surgeries, is scheduled to come back a week later.

As a precaution, the Ravens will place Heap on the physically-unable-to-perform list Sunday. Barring any setbacks, he should be activated to play in the Ravens' second preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Aug. 20.

If he were to stay on that list when the regular season begins, he would have to sit out at least the first five games.

"The rehab is going along very, very well," Ravens coach Brian Billick said. "Right now, he is on target."

This ankle injury has dogged Heap for nearly a year. Originally expected to miss two to four weeks last season, he sat out 10 games because of the severe sprain. He was one of seven starters on offense sidelined because of injuries last season.

So, based on his slow recovery last year, is there any chance Heap will not be available for the season opener?

"Right now, I haven't been given any indication that would be in jeopardy," Billick said. "Based on the rehab and the time frame we have out there, that doesn't seem to be a risk."

The former NFL Offensive Player of the Year will be released from a halfway house in Atlanta on Tuesday afternoon. After having a day to collect himself there, Lewis is scheduled to fly Aug. 4 to Baltimore, where he will undergo a physical.

The tentative plan is for Lewis, who had ankle surgery in February, to work on conditioning drills Aug. 5 and Aug. 6, when the Ravens scrimmage the Washington Redskins.

If he proves he's physically ready, he will line up in the backfield during the week before the first preseason game.

While Heap's injury is more serious, it appears that he'll be able to play before the regular season starts. Let's hope that Billick is correct and Heap will be suited up before the regular season starts. Although we've heard overly optimistic reports on Heap in the past that didn't pan out. Continue to draft Heap with caution until he comes off of the PUP list. This injury has been nagging him for a long time, and if his recovery takes a turn for the worst, he could miss the first part of the season as well.

Lewis will miss the beginning of camp, but should be ready to go much sooner. Keep an eye on his early season performance to insure that he is fully recovered from surgery.

Serious negotiations with running back Ronnie Brown, the No. 2 overall pick in the draft by the Dolphins, were on hold, according to two sources within the NFL Players Association.

The sources said both the team and agent Todd France were waiting to see a final version of the contract that quarterback and No. 1 overall pick Alex Smith signed with San Francisco on Tuesday.

France could not be reached for comment and has not picked up calls by numerous media outlets during the past two weeks. Dolphins coach Nick Saban indicated he hoped the deal Smith signed would be the impetus to get negotiations rolling with Brown.

"I really don't have any update on any status," Saban said regarding Brown. ``Hopefully [Smith's] signing in San Francisco will give us a baseline for what we need to do to make a deal to get him here. I want you to know that everybody in this organization is working very hard to try and do that."

If the reports of Smith getting $24 million in guaranteed money are accurate, the Dolphins will likely have to offer in the area of $22 million in guarantees for Brown. Smith's total guarantee was a 20 percent improvement on what Eli Manning, the No. 1 overall pick in 2004, received from the New York Giants.

If that percentage increase is to be used for Brown's deal and based on the $18.3 million that Oakland offensive lineman Robert Gallery received last season, the guarantees would be just less than $22 million for Brown.

The Dolphins had been hoping to guarantee Brown less than $20 million, but that seems unlikely at this point and could force an extended holdout.

While rookie RBs have an easier time making it in the NFL than most other positions, Brown's absence from camp would be a bad thing. Hopefully Miami and Todd France can reach an agreement quickly and Brown is taking snaps with the first team very soon. We'll keep you posted on further details.

Smith also announced Tuesday morning that the Bolts have waived running back Jesse Chatman after the fourth-year veteran failed a team physical.

"We're going in another direction," Smith said. "We're pleased with the depth that we have at running back, and we just felt that it was time to move on."

Chatman was the Chargers' second-leading rusher in 2004. He carried 65 times for 392 yards (6.0 avg.) and three touchdowns, but team officials were not happy with Chatman's absence from Charger Park during the offseason.

"Jesse's lack of involvement in what we were doing here in the offseason led us to go in another direction," Schottenheimer said. "His weight has been an issue as well as his not being here. I've talked to him at length, but we didn't gain any ground."

Added Schottenheimer, "The policy is very simple: if you have an injury, you have to be here for rehabilitation and treatment. We had some difficulty with Jesse in that area. His weight has been an issue, and I've tried to work with him as best I could. He failed the physical."

Schottenheimer said that at this point, Michael Turner will be slotted behind LaDainian Tominlinson at the tailback position. Rookie Darren Sproles and fullback Andrew Pinnock are also expected to see time at the position.

While the focus of this article is on Chatman and his lack of commitment to the team, this article makes it pretty clear that Turner and Sproles are ready to go. Early reports from Charger mini camps said that Sproles was really impressing the coaching staff, and that certainly contributed to Chatman's demise. LaDainian Tomlinson is not going anywhere as the Charger starter, but he has more than 1650 career touches, despite entering his fifth season. At some point you expect that pace to slow down. With Turner and Sproles there to pick up the slack, it might be easier to let Tomlinson sit out a set or two. Assuming he can pass a physical, Chatman's 2004 performance will probably earn him a shot on another team. Expect that someone will sign him before the season begins.

The Falcons and first-round draft pick Roddy White made no progress toward a contract agreement Tuesday.

White missed his third practice and talk of the wide receiver competing for a starting job began to cool.

"I might have overstated the fact that we feel Roddy could be a starter," Coach Jim Mora said after the first of two practices Tuesday. "We feel like he has the physical ability to be a starter. But it's hard to start as a rookie, very, very hard. The likelihood of that happening is pretty slim."

Mora's comments centered more on rookies making an immediate impact. However, he added White is compounding the issue by not being in camp.

"Every day that Roddy misses now, the chance of [him starting] becomes less and less," Mora said. "If he was here I'd be able to evaluate him but he's not. Hopefully he gets here soon but if he's missing practices, he's not going to start for sure."

White is listed as the backup to wideout Dez White, but none of the wide receivers' jobs are secure as coaches have opened a full-fledged competition to determine the pecking order. Veteran wide receiver Peerless Price had his starting job awarded to second-year upstart Michael Jenkins on the first day of practice.

Now we know a coach would never negotiate through the media... but this looks like Jim Mora vs Neil Schwartz to me. It'll be interesting to watch how quickly Schwartz blinks with this "he won't start unless he gets in here fast" type talk. The Falcons are looking to shake up their passing game as they finished 28th in TD passes, 30th in passing yards, 31st in attempts and dead last in completions. White was a first round pick for the Falcons this season, and he was expected to come in and compete for a starting job right off the bat. Considering the fact that Atlanta hasn't had a 1000-yard wide receiver since 1999, and the fact that the competition will be wide open for most of the season, we advise some caution with any Atlanta WR this season until this starts to shake out a bit.

Roland Williams enters training camp as the starting tight end ahead of Brandon Manumaleuna.

"I know Roland was a good player when he played with us before (from 1998 through 2000)," Martz said.

But Martz thought Williams looked faster in the spring than he ever has in a Rams uniform, and caught the ball better than Martz remembered.

Manumaleuna has been the Rams' leading TE for the last two seasons, but he finished 28th and 45th among fantasy TES during that span as well. Williams has been out of football since the 2002 season, and his highest finish as a fantasy TE was only 13th back in 1999. But don't discount any receiver in a Mike Martz offense. Let's watch him very closely in the pre season as Williams is a guy likely under the radar of many owners who aren't keeping up with our updates like you are.

The district attorney in Georgia where Dolphins tight end Randy McMichael was arrested earlier this month regarding a late-night incident with wife Cawanna said his office plans to pursue charges quickly in the case.

However, Augusta Judicial Circuit District Attorney Danny Craig said he would entertain a continuance of the proceedings if McMichael's attorney requested one. Such a continuance might allow McMichael to avoid a possible fine and/or suspension from the NFL this season.

"One of my assistant district attorneys came by last week and said they received the file, and I got the impression that on its facts, [McMichael] would be accused and would be prosecuted," Craig said.

In addition, a witness in the case gave The Herald a detailed description of the events July 9, indicating that McMichael was verbally abusive of his wife, confirmed that McMichael threw a cellphone at her and then moved her away several times when the incident moved from inside a Waffle House restaurant in Georgia to the parking lot.

However, the witness said Cawanna McMichael ended up with a bloody nose after what appeared to be accidental contact by McMichael.

McMichael again declined to speak with reporters Tuesday after saying Monday he would speak. His wife has attended practices each of the first two days of training camp.

Coach Nick Saban did not discuss any detail of the case but said the team is committed to helping McMichael work through his issues.

"I have tried to focus on the personal aspects of what we can do technically and what can help him in the future," Saban said. ``We have had several good discussions about it. We will continue to try to work with him to help him. Regardless of whatever the consequences of this circumstance, maybe we can help him from having significant problems in the future.

McMichael may face charges, but if the judge has already stated he'd entertain a continuance, it's a good bet that McMichael will play this season for the Dolphins. It looks like the NFL and the Dolphins will stay clear of this situation unless McMichael is convicted. Until then, expect to see McMichael in a Dolphin uniform. Excellent lesson to be learned here - Safety Quintin Williams was cut last month while much was made of the new "Behave or Be Gone" attitude from new coach Saban. http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/football/11994873.htm Maybe this ought to be "Behave or Be Gone Unless You're A Really Good Player"...

Indianapolis Colts first-round draft pick Marlin Jackson agreed to a five-year contract worth nearly $7 million, his agent said Tuesday.

Doug Hendrickson, Jackson's agent, confirmed the defensive back accepted a deal worth $6.975 million that will allow him to report to training camp Wednesday with the rest of the team.

"He's ecstatic, the Colts are happy, and he's looking forward to being there (Wednesday)," Hendrickson said.

Jackson, the 29th overall pick in the April draft, will receive a $4.38 million signing bonus as well as option and reporting bonuses, Hendrickson said. He will sign the deal Wednesday morning, then report to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Ind., for training camp.

Jackson, at just over 6 feet and 196 pounds, comes into the NFL with a reputation as a physical defender and a ballhawk. He also has good speed.

At Michigan, he started 39 of 45 career games, splitting time between cornerback and safety. He finished his career with 195 tackles, nine interceptions and five forced fumbles. He also blocked two kicks and his 34 career pass breakups were second in school history.

The Colts ranked 29th overall in total yards allowed, including 29th in passing yards allowed, 31st in completions allowed and 22nd in TD passes allowed. Jackson was drafted to give immediate help to that situation, and as we reported yesterday, the Colts were really hoping he'd be there for the entire camp. One interesting stat for the Colts defense was that they ranked 9th in interceptions with 19. This is a direct result of their juggernaut offense that rolled up 61 TDS last season. With teams playing from behind, they'll be throwing more. Rookie Corners are frequent targets as veteran QBs try to take advantage of them. Jackson can only benefit from a full training camp, and might be a nice fantasy sleeper if he transitions well to the next level.

As defensive coordinator Ed Donatell predicted last week, Bryan Scott participated in 7-on-7, inside passing and one-on-one drills, but the safety was held out of team contact work.

Scott underwent left shoulder surgery in March and was projected to miss the entire preseason. His rehab has gone smoothly enough, however, that Scott might return for the fourth preseason game Aug. 25 at Jacksonville or the fifth preseason game Sept. 1 at Miami.

"I kept hearing there were Internet reports that I wouldn't be back until the season opener," Scott said. "But I knew that was wrong because my shoulder kept improving."

Scott exploded last season for the Falcons, finishing second in team tackles with 85 solo and 11 assists. He also added 2.5 sacks, 1 INT, 1 forced fumble and 4 Passes Defended. The fact that he's back at camp and expected to be playing before the regular season starts is very good news. We'll keep you posted as the pre-season progresses, but at this point it's probably safe to start moving Scott back up your projection charts for DBs.

British national player Lorn Mayers has been signed by the NFL's Oakland Raiders and will make history as the youngest player ever to be signed by an NFL team. Defensive tackle Mayers is the third Brit to ink a deal with an NFL club in the past three months, and brings the total of national players heading to training camp up to 13.

Prior to playing for the NFL Europe's Berlin Thunder during the 2005 season, Mayers had just one season of senior football experience for the London Blitz, of the British American Football League, in 2004.

Mayers said: "It's amazing. I've gone from delivering sofas to the NFL in the space of six months. I hope to use what I've learned in NFL Europe with the Berlin Thunder to make an impact on the Raiders. I'm going to work really hard to achieve my dream of playing in the NFL."

Mayers, who weighs in at 342 pounds, was first spotted by NFL scouts in the United Kingdom at a youth football summer camp in 2003 and his career with the London Blitz was also closely monitored.

"We are very pleased and extremely happy for Lorn," said Tony Allen, Director of International Player & Football Development for NFL Europe, "He has exceeded our personal expectations - we knew he was a very talented young prospect but we did not expect him to reach this level so quickly in his career. He came to us as a developmental kid and has excelled.

"There are many talented athletes in the United Kingdom but Lorn has applied hard work and effort to that talent and created this opportunity for himself. He has worked very hard during the NFL Europe League season and is going to be a great role model for young players in the UK. The NFL dream is there for every kid to achieve if they are willing to put in the hard work and effort."

Mayers, who turned 20 on June 6, became the youngest player ever to see action in an NFL Europe League game when he played for the Berlin Thunder against the Amsterdam Admirals on April 30 at the age of 19.

The NFL has always been pretty sticky about age and schooling requirements for their players. The influx of international players may loosen those reins a bit though. As a player, Mayers still has a way to go, as success in NFL Europe doesn't always translate to the NFL. One thing is clear though: this kid has boatloads of talent, and is willing to work hard to improve. Given his age, and work ethic, he has a lot of potential. Add in the fact that Mayers will be learning from guys like Warren Sapp and Ted Washington, and you have the makings of a nice player for the future. Keep an eye on him.

Olin Kreutz has been to four Pro Bowls. He has blocked the NFL's best defensive tackles every week. Now he sees Tommie Harris every day and the Bears' center is clear on one point:

"Not by one guy," Kreutz said, shaking his head. "Of course there will be plays where he gets blocked but you're going to have to account for him the whole game. With the guys he has next to him, that's hard to do."

When Dan Hampton moved inside on the "46" defense and when Ted Washington was a force, no single lineman could block them consistently. Hall of Famer Hampton helped Mike Singletary into the Hall and Richard Dent to more than 100 sacks; Washington and Keith Traylor were middle linebacker Brian Urlacher's protectors.

If two offensive linemen must account for Harris, that's one blocker who can't go looking for Urlacher. If Harris is double-teamed, end Adewale Ogunleye won't be. A relatively unhindered Ogunleye is what makes the pass rush.

"Defensive tackles, Tommie and Ian Scott, are more important to me than the other defensive end," Ogunleye said. "That D-tackle commands the double team and I get to go one on one.

Ok, take this with a tiny grain of salt. Kreutz is talking about his teammate here, so he might be looking at the situation with rose-colored glasses. Even if his statements are true, the benefits would likely be felt more by Ogunleye and Urlacker. Harris had 28 tackles and 15 assists last season, including 3.5 sacks as a rookie last season. The Bears expected great things from Harris when the drafted him last season, and if he's coming along this well, it is good news for the Bears and fantasy owners alike.

A day after leaving the practice field in tears after being chewed out by Dolphins coach Nick Saban, rookie defensive tackle Manuel Wright missed Wednesday's morning practice session to have his sore back examined.

Saban said there were no hard feelings regarding Tuesday's incident in which he ripped into Wright for not being prepared for the first practice in full pads.

"We have a protocol on how to do things around here. Sometimes young players don't understand that," Saban said. "I tell the players we're going to help you anyway we can to try to be as successful as you can be. But when you don't do things the way you're supposed to do them, we're going to confront and demand that you do it right.

"That's what I did with this and that's the rest of the story. He did what he was supposed to do. I did what I was supposed to do and nobody is mad at anybody."

Wright, who was selected in the fifth round of the supplemental draft earlier this month, was expected to report in better condition.

Rookie DLs usually don't have a good fantasy season right out of the gate, so Wright probably wasn't on your fantasy radar anyway. However, his progress is of note as he was the only supplemental draft pick from this season. Dynasty owners in IDP leagues should take note as well.

A nice link to bookmark if you want to keep track of the first round signings. Currently only seven of the first 32 selections have been signed.

That'll do it for today, Folks. Have a great day and we'll see you tomorrow with the update. Remember to check out our writing opportunities if you're up for it.