The New England Patriots have traded quarterback Matt Cassel to the Kansas City Chiefs for a second round draft pick. Last season, Cassel got better and better as the QB for the Patriots after Tom Brady was lost for the season during the first game.

In Kansas City, Cassel is all but assured of being the starter. With new management in town, the Chiefs wanted a proven signal caller to run their offense — and they got one.

The good news for Cassel is the fact that the Chiefs have some talent on that end of the field. Wide receiver Dwayne Bowe is a big play threat and tight end Tony Gonzalez is still arguably the best player at his position in the NFL.

Cassel’s fantasy football value will be that of a top end backup quarterback heading into the 2009 fantasy football season. Some fantasy owners will roll the dice and hope that Cassel can have the success he had during the second half of the season with the Patriots. While that’s not overly likely, he is definitely a high-risk, high-reward type player.

As far as the Patriots are concerned, the trading of Cassel indicates that the team is happy with where Tom Brady is in his recovery. Brady has insisted that he’ll be ready to begin the 2009 fantasy football season and this move proves that the Patriots are confident in that happening.

There have been a lot of worries in New England this summer concerning the health of Tom Brady. The Patriots didn’t help matters by franchising Matt Cassel - Brady’s backup.

But according to the latest report, Brady is progressing as expected. Although he faces a long recovery after the substantial knee injury he suffered in Week 1 of the 2008 fantasy football season, the time table has always had Brady being ready to go by the beginning of the 2009 fantasy season.

If Brady is healthy and can show fantasy football owners that he can return to his old form with a few good preseason games, there’s no reason why fantasy owners won’t jump all over him in 2009 fantasy football drafts.

At his best, Brady is the premiere fantasy quarterback in the NFL. With Randy Moss, Wes Welker and a team that likes to pass the ball, a healthy Brady is almost guaranteed to have 4,000 yards and 35 touchdowns in 2009.

However, if Brady is less than healthy, he’ll be a risky pick considering that his average draft position will still likely have him going in the second round. Keep a close eye on his progress during the offseason. But so far, so good for Brady.

In the last few months, there have been some rumblings that Tom Brady of the New England Patriots was having a difficult time recovering from his major knee injury and could be his 2009 season could be in jeopardy. However, the latest word from Brady is that not only does he plan to play in 2009, he expects to be ready for the season opener.

While we’ll obviously know more nearer to start of training camp, this has to be classified as good news. If Brady is able to return by the start of the regular season, he will once again be one of the most sought after fantasy football quarterbacks. In dynasty leagues, even though his status is uncertain, Brady still holds a lot of value.

The question is what his redraft value will be for the 2009 fantasy football season. In 2008, Brady was a first round pick in most league. If healthy, there’s a chance that fantasy owners will once again consider making him a first round pick. However, more likely is Brady becoming a second round fantasy draft pick next season.

With the way Matt Cassel played this year, he’ll become an automatic handcuff for those teams that draft Brady — especially early on in the season. Cassel showed he’s more than capable of filling in and running the Patriots’ offense.

QB Matt Cassel, New England Patriots
Matt Cassel has looked so good at times this year for the Patriots that some fans are even considering the possibility of trading Tom Brady. While that talk is obviously crazy, Cassel was good again in Week 15. He finished the game against the Oakland Raiders with 218 yards and four touchdown passes.

RB Dominic Rhodes, Indianapolis Colts
The Colts were without Joseph Addai in Week 15. No worrise, Dominic Rhodes was more than able to pick up the slack against the Detroit Lions. Rhodes finished Week 15 with two touchdowns to go along with 116 yards.

WR Andre Johnson, Houston Texans
Andre Johnson had a huge game against the Tennessee Titans in Week 15. In the first half alone he had 150 yards receiving and a touchdown. In the second half he added more than 50 yards to finish the game with 207 yards receiving and a TD.

TE Dallas Clark, Indianapolis Colts
If you had Dallas Clark on your Week 15 fantasy team, you are very happy. Clark had a monster game — finishing with 12 catches for 142 yards and a touchdown. Both the catches and the yardage are easily season-highs for Clark.

QB Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals
This is a dream matchup for fantasy football Kurt Warner owners. At home going against his former team, Warner should be able to destroy the St. Louis Rams. He played well against the Rams earlier in the season and that was on the road. This team, he should be able to go for at least 320 yards and two touchdowns.

RB Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
Going up against the Detroit Lions, Adrian Peterson should be running early and often. The Lions are putrid defensively and the Vikings should easily be able to move the ball. The only thing that could stop Peterson in Week 14 is if it’s a blowout early and the the Vikings let him rest.

WR Randy Moss, New England Patriots
Last week, Randy Moss was relatively quiet. However, that wasn’t two surprising considering the Patriots were playing the Pittsburgh Steelers. In Week 14, the Patriots have a much easier matchup — the Seattle Seahawks. Expect Moss to be a big part of the game plan to run over the Seahawks.

TE Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City Chiefs
Tony Gonzalez is not only the best tight end at the moment in fantasy football, he’s going up against the weak defense of the Denver Broncos. He should be able to have a very good game. The Broncos aren’t a good pass defending team and Gonzalez is easily the number one option on the Chiefs on the offensive side of the ball.

QB Matt Cassel, New England Patriots
Don’t look now but Matt Cassel is doing a very good Tom Brady imitation. He once again produced a very fine week of fantasy football stats in Week 12. He finished the game against the Miami Dolphins with 415 yards passing and three touchdowns. All three of his touchdowns were to Randy Moss.

RB Michael Turner, Atlanta Falcons
In many fantasy football drafts this year, Michael Turner was a third rounder. Those fantasy owners who drafted him have to be very happy, especially in Week 12. He finished the week with 117 yards and four touchdowns. Turner has official established himself as one of the best running backs in the fantasy football world.

WR Terrell Owens, Dallas Cowboys
Since Tony Romo broke his pinkie, Terrell Owens had been pretty quiet. But in Week 12, he exploded onto the scene. Against the San Francisco 49ers, Owens finished with seven catches for 213 yards and a touchdown. If you are an Owens owner, this was the game you have been waiting for.

TE Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City Chiefs
Tony Gonzalez is having another fantastic season. He continued that in Week 12 of the fantasy football season by catching 10 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown. From now until the end of the year, it’d be impossible to bench Gonzalez. He’s just too good and although the Chiefs are struggling defensively, their offense looks surprisingly sharp.

QB Shaun Hill, San Francisco 49ers
Being a quarterback in a Mike Martz offense is generally a good thing. Shaun Hill of the 49ers seems to be taking advantage of that opportunity. Hill, who replaced an ineffective JT O’Sullivan, played very well last week and should be a good backup fantasy football quarterback from here on.

RB Tatum Bell, Denver Broncos
If you are looking to strike gold on the Week 12 waiver wire, you definitely have to consider Tatum Bell a sleeper. Bell has been signed by the Broncos after a bevy of injuries depleted their running back corps. Bell has had success in that system before and could excel once again if given a shot.

WR Justin Gage, Tennessee Titans
With teams looking to defend the run, Kerry Collins and the Titans have been forced to pass more in recent weeks. When healthy, Gage has been the team’s number one receiver. He now has three touchdowns in the last two weeks and should continue to get plenty of looks going forward.

TE Benjamin Watson, New England Patriots
As Matt Cassel grows into his role, he seems to be looking more and more for Benjamin Watson. Watson had a big week in Week 11 and is now definitely a Week 12 waiver wire possibility. If he gets enough passes his way, he could easily end up as a top ten tight end over the course of the rest of the season.

QB Matt Cassel, New England Patriots
In place of Tom Brady, Matt Cassel has had some good games and some not so good games. In Week 11, Cassel played one of his better games. Against the rival New York Jets, the Patriots quarterback had 400 yards passing and three touchdowns. He also didn’t have an interception on the week.

RB DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers
Early in the season, it appeared as if DeAngelo Williams would never live up to his expectations. Now, Williams is regarded as one of the best fantasy football running backs in 2008. In Week 11, Williams finished the game with two touchdowns and 120 yards rushing on 14 attempts. Combining with Jonathan Stewart, the Panthers have a very formidable one-two punch.

WR TJ Houshmandzadeh, Cincinnati Bengals
Even thought the Bengals have been a big disappointment and quarterback Carson Palmer has missed a lot of time, TJ Houshmandzadeh has actually been quite good. He still has been able to get open and he still has very good hands. He finished this week’s game with 12 catches for 149 yards and a touchdown receptions. If it wasn’t clear last year, it’s clear this year — Houshmandzadeh is simply a better wide receiver than Chad Johnson.

TE Benjamin Watson, New England Patriots
Cassel’s main target against the Jets was tight end Benjamin Watson. Watson has very good ability to go along with great size and athleticism, however he’s had a difficult time putting it all together. For a week, at least, he did just that. He finished Week 11 with eight catches for 88 yards and a touchdown grab to be the top fantasy football tight end for the week.

QB Shaun Hill, San Francisco 49ers
Shaun Hill is now the starting quarterback in San Francisco and makes for a very fine Week 9 Waiver Wire pickup. With Mike Martz still with the 49ers, you can expect the team to throw the ball a lot. Hill was somewhat effective last season and has a chance to become a decent backup for the rest of the fantasy football season.

RB Kevin Faulk, New England Patriots
With injuries to Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris and LaMont Jordan, the door is open for Kevin Faulk to be the main running back option. The good thing about Faulk is that not only is he good running the ball, he’s also a good receiver. If you need an emergency starter off the waiver wire, you could do much worse than Faulk.

WR Ted Ginn, Jr., Miami Dolphins
After a very slow start to his season, Ted Ginn, Jr. showed why he’s regarded as a big time talent. It’s unknown whether he will ever live up to his potential but with the Miami offense looking solid and quarterback Chad Pennington playing well, Ginn is a wide receiver to keep an eye on.

TE Martellus Bennett, Dallas Cowboys
If Jason Witten is going to miss any action, consider picking up Martellus Bennett. Bennett is the backup tight end in Dallas and he has impressed coaching with his receiving abilities. While he’s an obvious fall off from Witten, Bennett could serve as a sufficient starter for the time being.

QB Marc Bulger, St. Louis Rams
The Rams have switched coaches and Marc Bulger is now back in as the starting quarterback. While he’s had a horrible fantasy season so far, he has the weapons to turn it around quickly.

RB Ryan Grant, Green Bay Packers
Slowed by injuries early on, Ryan Grant has been a bust so far in the 2008 fantasy football season. But his schedule gets easier and he seems to be healthy, so he should become halfway decent soon.

WR Randy Moss, New England Patriots
Many fantasy owners have written off Randy Moss after the loss of Tom Brady. While his value certainly has suffered, expect him to step it up in forthcoming weeks as Matt Cassel adjusts.

TE Dallas Clark, Indianapolis Colts
In Week 1, Dallas Clark got injured. Combine that with a bye week and it seems like the fantasy world has forgotten about Clark. However, as Peyton Manning gets healthier, expect Clark to produce.