Fantasy football owners are trying to digest the news that Jay Cutler was traded to the Chicago Bears from the Denver Broncos. This news will affect many NFL players in the fantasy football world.

Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears (Image: Newscom)

First of all, Cutler himself probably sees his stock lower quite significantly. In Chicago, he joins a team with a mediocre receiving corps and a history of running the ball often. Logic suggests his stats will drop after spending his last few years in the wide open offense run in Denver.

For the Broncos, the wide receivers also see their stocks go south. Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal aren’t worth as much without Cutler delivering passes. However, whoever wins the running back battle for the Broncos could see their stock rise due to more carries.

In Chicago, the Bears receivers are now viable in the fantasy world. Devin Hester, the return specialist turned wide receiver, will be a popular sleeper pick during 2009 fantasy football drafts. If he enters the season as the number one wide receiver, Cutler could look for him early and often.

Tight end Greg Olson should also see his stock rise considerably following the acquisition of Cutler. He seems to have all the tools to be a star at the position and Cutler may be able to push him to the next level.

Also keep an eye to see on who will become the quarterback in Denver. With a new regime in town, the offensive tinkering may just have just begun.

QB Matt Schaub, Houston Texans
Returning from injury, Matt Schaub showed why he’s regarded as one of the up and coming quarterbacks in fantasy football. In Week 14, Schaub played very well against the Green Bay Packers. He finished the game with 414 passing yards and two touchdowns. Plus he orchestrated a game-winning drive near the end of the game, which should help his confidence going forward.

RB Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia Eagles
When healthy, Brian Westbrook continues to be a beast. In Week 14, Westbrook had over 200 combined rushing and receiving yards and two touchdowns. More impressively, he did that damage against the New York Giants. The best news for Westbrook owners is that he looks healthy and should have a good finish to the season.

WR Brandon Marshall, Denver Broncos
Brandon Marshall had been quiet lately but he stepped up in a big way in Week 14. The Broncos wide receiver had 91 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions. Once upon a time, Marshall was the best wide receiving going in 2008 fantasy football. After this performance, he once again has to be considered elite.

TE Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City Chiefs
As has been the case often this season, Tony Gonzalez was the best tight end in Week 14 of the 2008 fantasy football season. Gonzalez finished the week with 73 yards and a touchdown. He now has at least five receptions for eight consecutive weeks. During that time, he also has five touchdowns.

QB Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals
Kurt Warner has turned back the clock this season and is reminding NFL experts why he has a pair of Super Bowl rings. He’s also reminding fantasy football owners why he used to be considered the best fantasy quarterback in the all the land. This week, against the St. Louis Rams, you have to think Warner will have even more motivation to torture the team he had his most success with.

RB Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia Eagles
When healthy, is there a better fantasy football player to own than Brian Westbrook? He’s such a multidimensional force the he’s a threat on just about every play. This week he has a good matchup and should be good for 100+ yards and a touchdown — at the very least.

WR Brandon Marshall, Denver Broncos
Brandon Marshall has cooled off as of late but this week against the Miami Dolphins he should rev it back up. Marshall has the perfect frame for a wide receiver and Jay Cutler loves throwing it to him. A touchdown and 100+ yards is very much a possibility.

TE Owen Daniels, Houston Texans
Owen Daniels continues to work himself up the tight end charts and this week he finds himself on the top. Against the Minnesota Vikings, you can expect the Texans to pass, pass and pass some more. With Andre Johnson getting a lot of the attention, Daniels should be able to roam free.

QB Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
Although the Saints are taking on the Minnesota Vikings, Drew Brees is still a very good start. The Vikings are great against the run but they can struggle against the pass. Expect Brees to throw 40+ times and rack up good fantasy stats.

QB Marion Barber, Dallas Cowboys
Against the Cincinnati Bengals, Marion Barber is sure to get a lot of touches. Coming off of a week where the Cowboys lost in part to Barber not getting enough carries, they’ll be sure to give him the rock early and often in Week 5.

WR Brandon Marshall, Denver Broncos
Brandon Marshall has emerged as the best fantasy football wide receiver in the NFL. He has to be considered the best starter for Week 5 just based on how hot he has been lately. Expect another big week even though he’s going up a good Tampa Bay Buccaneers team.

TE Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers
Going up against the Miami Dolphins, Antonio Gates should be featured early and often. He is finally getting close to 100% after offseason toe surgery. The best of his 2008 fantasy football campaign is likely yet to come.

Ronnie Brown had a memorable game in Week 3.

QB Brian Griese, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jon Gruden put Brian Griese in the lineup ahead of Jeff Garcia and that move looks brilliant now. In Week 3, Griese had 407 yards and two touchdowns. While he also had three interceptions, he showed enough promise to put him on the fantasy football radar.

RB Ronnie Brown, Miami Dolphins
Where did this come from? Ronnie Brown proved he’s healthy once again with a five touchdown performance. He also had 122 yards to go along with those five TDs. Brown was the main reason why the underdog Dolphins were able to run over the heavily favored New England Patriots.

WR Brandon Marshall, Denver Broncos
Brandon Marshall is quickly becoming the best wide receiver in fantasy football. With Randy Moss struggling without Tom Brady, Marshall and Terrell Owens appear to be the top two receivers in the land of fantasy.

TE Anthony Fasano, Miami Dolphins
In Week 1, Anthony Fasano had a huge game. In Week 2, he was invisible and finished with no catches. He bounced back with a strong Week 3 that saw him total 66 yards and a touchdown. It’ll be interesting to see if Fasano keeps it up or if this was another fluke game.

K John Carney, New York Giants
Filling in for the injured Lawrence Tynes, John Carney is proving that he’s still good enough to kick in the NFL. Carney was 4-for-4 on field goals and hit both of his PATs. Carney’s biggest field goal was the one he hit to win the game in overtime.

Photo: Newscom

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Rod Smith, the star wide receiver for the Denver Broncos, retired on Thursday. Smith called it a career after missing all of 2007 due to injuries.

Smith played his entire career with the Broncos and totaled 849 catches, 11,389 yards and 68 touchdowns. In fantasy football, Smith was almost always undervalued during draft time. It seemed like year after year, Smith outperformed his projections.

With Smith entering retirement, the torch has officially been passed to Brandon Marshall. Marshall, who is coming back from an arm injury, enters the 2008 fantasy football season as the Broncos’ number one wide receiver.

Rod Smith, Denver Broncos

Photo: Newscom

Brandon Marshall, the top wide receiver for the Denver Broncos, is recovering quicker than expected from the arm injury he suffered during the season. Marshall injured his arm when vacation with his family during the offseason.

Marshall is already running routs and the Broncos now expect him to resume catching passes on the last week of June. However, no one is quite sure how Marshall’s arm will react to trying to catch passes. Marshall suffered a lot of damage to his arm, including nerve and ligament damage.

Keep an eye open for reports for how Marshall is responding to passes thrown his way. If he’s catching passes with no problems, he should be a very good fantasy football pick in 2008. If he has trouble receiving the ball, that could spell trouble.

Right now, you have to rate Marshall a top 10 to 15 wide receiver. If he can prove himself to be completely healthy, Marshall would enter the 2008 fantasy football season as a top ten wide receiver.

Photo: Newscom

Jay Cutler, the quarterback of the Denver Broncos, recently revealed that he has been diagnosed with diabetes. Cutler reportedly has Type 1 diabetes, however his prognosis is good.

“It’s something that he’s dealing with and something a lot of other people have,” said Marty Garafalo, Cutler’s business manager. “Even though it’s a serious condition, it’s a condition that can be managed. That’s the way he’s treating it right now.”

While we obviously hope Cutler the best, how does this news affect his fantasy football stock? It shouldn’t alter his stock much, however it could make him slightly less valuable in the short term. A lot of fantasy owners will want to see Cutler perform at his previous level before giving him the green light.

Due to Cutler’s diabetes, he will require daily insulin injections. The good news is a number of athletes have dealt with the illness without it affecting their playing career.

The bottomline is that if you own Cutler, you shouldn’t worry. However, you may find it more difficult to trade him for fair value for the time being.

The Denver Broncos have had to deal with a lot of issues in this offseason. Earlier, Brandon Marshall suffered an arm laceration that will sideline him for a few months.

Photo: Newscom

The Denver Broncos continue to add to their wide receiving corps. The latest signing brings Darrell Jackson to the Broncos. Jackson, who spent last season with the San Francisco 49ers, is best known for his play with the Seattle Seahawks.

Jackson had a poor 2007 NFL campaign but at 29, he’s still young enough to turn it around. In 2006, Jackson had a very good season, finishing with 956 yards and ten touchdowns in 13 games.

The Broncos have been adding depth at wide receiver for a variety of reasons. Probably the biggest reason is the uncertainty regarding Brandon Marshall, Marshall, Denver’s leading receiver last year, suffered a severe cut on his arm that will have him out a number of months. Along with Jackson, the Broncos recently signed Samie Parker and will bring back veteran Brandon Stokley.

In 2008, Jackson’s production will vary greatly depending on whether or not he starts. If he starts, you can expect him to have 800 yards and five touchdowns. Keep an eye on his status because if he’s named the starter, he’d be a nice sleeper pick late in fantasy football draft.

Image details: CA: San Francisco 49ers Training Camp served by picapp.com