NFC East: July 2008 Archives

While some bloggers think the Eagles are set up for failure this season, their track record under Andy Reid would prove otherwise. Always a staple in the race for the NFC East crown, Philadelphia has only not finished above .500 three times in Reid's nine seasons as head coach. One of those times was last year, when the Eagles closed out their season with three straight wins, but it wasn't enough to get them into the playoffs at only 8-8.

As always, the Eagles will be led by quarterback Donavon McNabb, who has gone from a young, exciting, elusive signal caller to a savvy veteran seemingly overnight. While the Mt. Carmel product is the face of the franchise, running back Brian Westbrook is the team's most coveted fantasy player. He will be a top five selection in most leagues.

After dealing with the murder of their best player and, to a lesser extent, a season ending injury to their starting quarterback, the Washington Redskins went on one of the most inspirational runs in recent NFL history. The Redskins blew the first game after Sean Taylor's death because of a gaffe by head coach Joe Gibbs, but they rallied to win their final four games, secure a winning 9-7 record, and making the playoffs.

In fantasy terms, the Redskins are not one of the NFL's most attractive teams. Quarterback Jason Campbell is young and still unknown, and though Clinton Portis was extremely productive last year, he has a history of disappointing fantasy owners. If nothing else, Chris Cooley may be the only player in your league who is a blogger.

New York Giants

The Giants created the year's defining sports moment by knocking off the previously undefeated Patriots in February. While an encore seems unlikely, New York again should be in the thick of things in the NFC East. They lost three notable defensive players, but none of that should matter much to fantasy teams. Eli Manning is still throwing to Plaxico Burress, and Brandon Jacobs is still hammering in touchdowns from the one-yard line.

No one has ever accused Dallas of being the most, um, conservative franchise in the NFL. They take flyers defenders with checkered pasts, own the sport's most outrageous personality, and have a quarterback who gets more attention from US Weekly than Sports Illustrated. Still, it's a team that returns nearly everyone from last year's 13-3 NFC East division champs, and has valuable fantasy players throughout the roster.