Donte Stallworth of the Cleveland Browns has been suspended indefinitely by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Stallworth, who recently plead guilty to DUI manslaughter in which a pedestrian was killed by a car Stallworth was driving, also won’t get paid during his suspension.

Donte Stallworth Suspension (Image: Newscom)

In the fantasy football world, this makes Stallworth completely valueless. He had minimal value prior to this incident but now there’s no situation in which he should be selected in a 2009 fantasy football draft.

According to reports, Stallworth received 30 days of jail time, two years of house arrest and eight years of probation. Considering all that baggage and the fact that he’s suspended indefinitely without pay, that will likely lead to the Browns releasing him and cutting all ties.

In fact, some experts believe there’s a good chance that Stallworth never plays in the NFL again. He was a talented player but not talented to the point that a team is likely to roll the dice on him. And with Goodell trying to clean up the league’s image, there’s a good chance that Stallworth will be suspended for a long while.

Today, Brian Westbrook will have surgery on his ankle. There are already rumors out there that Westbrook will be out until the regular season. While the Philadelphia Eagles haven’t given specifics of when they expect Westbrook to return, it’s likely that they take things slowly with their starting running back.

In the fantasy football world, this is bad news for Westbrook owners. He has always been a fragile player and he’s now undergoing his second offseason surgery. It’s difficult to imagine that he’ll be able to play all 16 games given the amount of rehab he’ll need just to get on the field for Week 1 of the regular season.

That said, Westbrook is a very enticing fantasy football running back. When he’s healthy, he’s one of the biggest threats — both running the ball and receiving the ball out of the backfield.

Considering his injury woes, the best idea is to take Westbrook but be sure to handcuff his backup. Second round pick LeSean McCoy will likely be the backup and if he is, he’s a must own if you decide to roll the dice with Westbrook in the 2009 fantasy football season.

If you believe Cleveland Browns head coach Eric Mangini, Brady Quinn currently has a slight edge over Derek Anderson to become the starting quarterback for the 2009 fantasy football season. Obviously, whoever wins this competition will hold much more fantasy value, however both quarterbacks are arguably worthy of being drafted.

What are Brady Quinn’s 2009 fantasy football projections? Compared to Anderson, he has to have the lower ceiling. The 24-year-old only has four games and 97 passing attempts to his credit in his NFL career. It’s rare for such an unpolished quarterback to have fantasy success without a few rocky starts along the way.

Anderson has the higher ceiling largely due to what he did in 2007. At times that year, he was a top five fantasy football quarterback. He finished the campaign with 3,787 passing yards and 29 passing touchdowns. Although he struggled last year, history tells us Anderson is definitely capable.

Both quarterbacks are hurt by the Browns weak receiving corps. Braylon Edwards is coming off of a very disappointing season, while Donte Stallworth is unlikely to be much of a help this season due to legal troubles. Consider that running back Jamal Lewis will be a year older, and the Browns starting quarterback gig doesn’t look too bright in the fantasy football world — not matter if Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson is named the starter.

Brady Quinn 2009 Fantasy Football Preview (Image: Newscom)

Surprise, surprise. Brett Favre is reportedly thinking about coming out of retirement to join the Minnesota Vikings. Please stop me if you’ve heard this before.

Is Brett Favre considering putting on a Minnesota Vikings' helmet? (Image: Newscom)

Even though Favre’s retirement game is getting slightly annoying, if he joins the Vikings and starts for the team at quarterback, he will definitely have a 2009 fantasy football impact.

Even though Favre is 39 years old and far past his prime, he showed glimpses of great play last year with the New York Jets. Compared to the quarterbacks that are currently in Minnesota (Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels), Favre would be an upgrade.

Last year with the Jets, Favre finished the season with 3,472 yards and 22 touchdowns to go with 22 interceptions. However, if you look closer at the numbers, Favre played much better near the beginning of the season. His play suffered down the stretch run, partly due to an arm injury.

Besides, the Vikings were the team Favre originally wanted to go to after leaving Green Bay. He’d have to be re-energized and focused on making the Packers regret their decision.

As far fantasy football value, Favre on the Vikings would make a solid backup quarterback option with a relatively high ceiling. Additionally, if Favre joins Minnesota, the stocks for all the receiving options will immediately rise.

In the second part of our fantasy football analysis of the 2009 NFL Draft, here’s a look at the player drafted in the second half of the first round.

2009 NFL Draft - Fantasy Analysis Part 1

2009 NFL Draft - Fantasy Analysis Part 2

QB Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Some experts were surprised that Freeman went so high in the draft but the Bucs loved his size and potential. That said, he’s a long-term project for Tampa Bay.

WR Jeremy Maclin, Philadelphia Eagles
For fantasy football purposes, Maclin fell into a perfect situation. The Eagles need wide receiver help and Maclin should be able to help right away. After DeSean Jackson played so well last year, Maclin could become fantasy relevant very quickly.

TE Brandon Pettigrew, Detroit Lions
Pettigrew has some fantasy football potential but he landed in a difficult position and probably will need a few years to blossom.

WR Percy Harvin, Minnesota Vikings
The good news for Harvin is the Vikings desperately need a wide receiver. The bad news is they don’t seem to have a quality QB that can get him the ball.

RB Donald Brown, Indianapolis Colts
With Dominic Rhodes out of the picture, Donald Brown should be able to step right in. Though Joseph Addai will be the starter, Brown has a chance to make noise in the fantasy world — especially if Addai gets hurt.

WR Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants
The Giants need a replacement for Plaxico Burress and Nicks has a chance to be that man. However, be careful because the Giants have many options at the wide receiver position.

WR Kenny Britt, Tennessee Titans
Britt is another wide receiver drafted in the first round who is going to a team desperate for production from the wide receiver position. If Britt is named as a starter, he’s a definite sleeper.

RB Chris Wells, Arizona Cardinals
Wells was once projected to be a top ten pick in this draft. For the Cardinals, he should be a great match to pair with Tim Hightower. With Hightower struggling at times last year, Wells could quickly prove to be a better RB.

Chris Wells, Arizona Cardinals (Image: Newscom)

Those of us obsessed with fantasy football now have some tangible information to start studying. On Tuesday, the league released the 2009 NFL schedules for each team.

While it’s a lot of information to digest at once, one team that looks to have a friendly fantasy football schedule is the Arizona Cardinals. Last season, Kurt Warner and the Cardinals made it to the Super Bowl. This coming season, a lot of fantasy football owners could be counting on Warner to lead their teams to a fantasy football Super Bowl.

Here’s a look at the Cardinals schedule:

Week 1 - San Francisco
Week 2 - @ Jacksonville
Week 3 - Indianapolis
Week 5 - Houston
Week 6 - @ Seattle
Week 7 - @ NY Giants
Week 8 - Carolina
Week 9 - @ Chicago
Week 10 - Seattle
Week 11 - @ St. Louis
Week 12 - @ Tennessee
Week 13 - Minnesota
Week 14 - @ San Francisco
Week 15 - @ Detroit
Week 16 - St. Louis
Week 17 - Green Bay

Pay special attention to the money weeks of the fantasy football season — Week 14 through Week 16. Three games against bad defense during the fantasy playoffs? That fact alone just raised the stock value of everyone on the Cardinals’ offense including Kurt Warner.

Kurt Warner, Fantasy Football Star in 2009? (Image: Newscom)

On Friday, the New York Giants cut their ties with wide receiver Plaxico Burress. Although Burress was instrumental in the Giants’ Super Bowl victory in 2007, the team decided that the bad now outweighs the good. In 2009 fantasy football drafts, fantasy owners will have to make a similar decision.

Plaxico Burress Released by the Giants (Image: Newscom)

The major trouble for Burress started when he shot himself in the leg back in November. Due to that incident, Burress faces a felony charge that could very well lead to prison time. Even if he’s not sent to prison, he could face a suspension from the NFL.

His value in fantasy football will depend on which team he lands with and how much action he will miss. Even though he has had a lot of personal problems over the years, Burress is a very good fantasy player. In 2006 and 2007 combined, Burress had 22 touchdowns and more than 2000 yards receiving. That type of production makes him viable in the fantasy world any time he steps onto the field.

As for the Giants, they actually have a lot of wide receiver talent and they should be able to pick up most of the slack. Domenik Hixon, Mario Manningham, Sinorice Moss and Steve Smith are all very capable of stepping into larger roles. That said, quarterback Eli Manning’s stock is lowered due to this news because Burress was his favorite option and it will be harder now for Manning to accumulate touchdown passes.

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.

At this point of the fantasy basketball season, you have to be aware of the NBA teams that are starting to tank. A tanking NBA team could rest its best players as they look toward a top pick in the NBA draft. Here are the top four teams tanking to ensure the best lottery odds possible:

4. Sacramento Kings
Look for the Kings to play their young players more and more. With many young options who aren’t quite good enough to win on the NBA, you can expect Sacramento to lose almost all of their remaining contests.

3. Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers have talent but they are about to shut it down for the season. The playoffs aren’t an option and they have some contracts that could be moved in the summer. Shutting down those players early can keep their stocks at their current level.

2. Golden State Warriors
Don Nelson is all but saying he’s tanking. He’s talking about resting players and his rotations have been even more crazy than usual. It’s safe to say that Nelson doesn’t care at all about winning at this moment.

1. Washington Wizards
Gilbert Arenas basically said that he’s not coming back because there’s nothing to play for. Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison could soon find a seat next to Arenas on the sideline. The Wizards currently have the inside track on finishing with the worst record in the NBA.

With about six weeks left in the 2009 NBA regular season, power rankings are getting more and more meaningful. Here’s a look at the top five teams in the NBA as the season heads toward the home stretch:

5. San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs are laying low in the weeds. They don’t look like a great team at the moment but with their championship experience, they are a team to never count out. If Manu Ginobili’s injury can heal quickly, they have a great shot at winning the second seed in the Western Conference.

4. Orlando Magic
When All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson got hurt, the Magic were a top team in the NBA. While they are definitely still elite, they lost a lot when Nelson hurt his shoulder. That said, they have enough talent to beat anyone in any series if they get hot from the perimeter.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs have one main weapon. Luckily, that weapon is LeBron James — arguably the best and most explosive basketball player on the planet. If the role players can step up, LeBron is more than capable of doing the dirty work.

2. Boston Celtics
The defending 2007-08 NBA champions are once again one of the top teams in the league. With the Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, it’s going to be extremely tough for any team to knock off the champs.

1. Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers lost in the Finals last season but this year they are even better. If Andrew Bynum can return near 100%, there’s simply no team that can match the talent the Lakers are capable of putting on the court.