Update: Jerry McDonald of fanfeedr.com says that Michael Bush will make his biggest contribution to the team’s offense this season if he becomes more of a power back to complement to the home run threat, Darren McFadden. The Raiders feel that they have enough talent at the skill positions and a good enough quarterback to score points, now they are looking for an heir to Justin Fargas who can come in for goal line and short-yardage situations and soften up defenses.

Fantasy Impact: Watch Bush for as many preseason games as you can before your draft, or stay tuned for training camp reports as to what kind of ferocity he brings to the field then. They have a career game-manager as their quarterback, rawness and inexperience at wr, and their other top rb is a guy who does most of his damage between the 20′s. Expect Bush to have every opportunity to prove his worth as a redzone threat.

Update: Jason LaCanfora of NFL.com is reporting that the Eagles have signed rookie wide receiver Riley Cooper to a four-year deal. Cooper was a fifth-round pick who starred at the University of Florida, while catching passes from Tim Tebow.

Fantasy Impact: I wouldn’t expect Cooper to make too much of an impact on a team that already has so many weapons on offense, particularly in the West Coast offense where the emphasis is on the quarterback getting rid of the ball quickly. However, when a team has a new starting quarterback, as the Eagles do this season, oftentimes the quarterback will develop a rapport with a new, previously unheralded target as a means of putting his own personal stamp on the offense. If you’re looking for a wr to round out your roster and of course if Desean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin are taken, I wouldn’t shy away from Cooper, especially in a keeper league.

Update: As reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Steelers have notified Pro Bowl linebacker Lamarr Woodley that he will not be receiving a contract extension in the near future.

Fantasy Impact: For the long term, this is bad news for Steeler nation in that they are likely entering their final season with one of the true defensive game-changers and best pure pass-rushers the league has to offer. For this upcoming year, this is great news for anyone who plans on drafting the Steelers defense. The team has re-acquired Bryant McFadden after a one-year stint in Arizona, Troy Polamalu should be back to flying around like we’re used to seeing Troy do, James Harrison has the motivation to bounce back from a disappointing ’09, and Woodley has his next contract to earn. Expect a return to dominance for the Steeler defense.

Update: ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that the Lions have signed backup quarterback Shaun Hill to a one-year extension that will keep him with the team through 2011.

Fantasy Impact: Having a smart, experienced, tough quarterback on the roster behind Matthew Stafford is huge for this team. Similarly to the effect Marc Bulger will have on Joe Flacco, Hill will be a good influence for not just the coming year but the year after for the 22-year old signal-caller. Given that Stafford is still in the developmental stage, and the team has added key skill-position players like wideout Nate Burleson, tight end Tony Scheffler, and drafted running back Jahvid Best this offseason, the other players on the Lions offense should be able to put up decent numbers regardless of whether Hill or Stafford is under center. I would say take Stafford as your backup, or possibly as a low-end starter, and take someone like Hill or some other veteran backup to a starter with injury concerns as a late-round handcuff.

Update: The Associated Press is reporting that Terrell Owens is concerned by the perception that he’s a bad teammate and a troublemaker and feels that it is why he has yet to have a team offer him a contract this offseason. Owens states that the fact that he kept quiet in Buffalo amid all the dysfunction of that organization last year, and that he was able to put up decent numbers through a head coaching change, multiple quarterbacks, and offensive line injuries proves that he can still be an elite receiver. Owens says talk that he has unrealistic salary demands is untrue and he is comfortable waiting until after training camp starts to sign with another team.

Fantasy Impact: I don’t know exactly how long it will take for a team to offer T.O. a contract, but there will be injuries in training camp and preseason and he will find a team before the season starts. As I’ve said before, there is nothing more attractive in fantasy circles, or anywhere in sports, than a player who feels like he has something to prove. Granted he has lost a step over the years, but a future Hall of Famer with that kind of consistency and game-breaking ability will make any offense stronger. It’s also a good sign that he no longer feels the entitlement of being able to openly criticize coaches and quarterbacks, as he did with his first three teams. Don’t be afraid to make him your no. 3 WR, even if he has still yet to sign with a team by the time your draft starts.

Update: Michael Fabiano of NFL.com is reporting on the strong offseason that rookie receiver Mike Williams has been having for the Buccaneers, and the value he could bring as a mid to late-round sleeper.

Fantasy Impact: I’m not expecting a monster year or some sort of rookie of the year nomination for Williams, but I do detect a case of DHB syndrome. What this refers to is how, last year, the Oakland Raiders selected receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey seventh overall and selected receiver Louis Murphy in the fourth round. Murphy took this as well as the stigma of playing for a team with such a recent marred history as motivation for a 35-catch, 500-yard season. These are hardly eye-popping numbers but given that Murphy went undrafted in most leagues, and many receivers who contributed little to nothing were scooped up in the mid to late rounds, a player like Williams is definitely worth taking as, say, a no. 4 WR. Similarly to Heyward-Bey and Murphy, Mike Williams is fully aware of how highly touted fellow rookie wideout Arrelious Benn is, and playing for a team with a bad defense but a bright, young quarterback who should be well-protected and a Prop Bowl tight end like Kellen Winslow to create one-on-one matchups on the outside, should give Williams plenty of opportunities to prove his worth.

Update: Partly because of his familiarity with Kyle Shanahan’s system after the year the two spent together in Houston, and partly because the other options include former sixth-round pick Colt Brennan and former undrafted free agent Richard Bartel, Rex Grossman appears to have assumed backup duties to Donovan McNabb as we head into training camp, according to redskins.com.

Fantasy Impact: When McNabb is in the lineup, fantasy owners of him or other Redskins players should feel safe and confident in their quarterback’s ability to know Shanahan’s offense and be on the same page with the Skins’ wr’s/te’s/rb’s. Given the 17 games McNabb has missed over the past 5 seasons, however, owners should be wary of spending too high of a pick on him, and given the lack of suitable backups, there isn’t too much insurance for guys like Santana Moss or Chris Cooley, either. I understand that Grossman and Kyle Shanahan have worked together before, but Rex supposedly had a good grasp of the Bears’ offense before assuming the starting duties full-time in 2006, and there’s just no nice way to put it, the guy is a below-average quarterback in this league.

Update: Former Pro Bowl quarterback Marc Bulger has signed with the Baltimore Ravens, according to the NFL teams’ account on Twitter. Fantasy Impact: The fantasy impact of this signing on the surface is minimal, since Joe Flacco is and will be the starter. However, the influence that a savvy, experienced veteran can have on a 25-year old face of the franchise can oftentimes not be understated. Should anything unforeseen happen to Flacco, I would expect Bulger’s leadership and football intelligence to give him a firm grasp of Cam Cameron’s offense and enable him to develop a good rapport with Anquan Boldin, Derrick Mason, and the other skill position players on the Ravens. I say expect a breakout year from Joe Flacco, another monster year from Ray Rice, a big year from Anquan Boldin, and don’t be afraid to take a flier on Donte’ Stallworth.

Update: Pro Football Talk is reporting that former Steelers cornerback Deshea Townsend is still looking to sign with a team before the season starts. Says Townsend, “I had some conversations [with teams].There’s always going to be a need for a corner somewhere…If something happens in training camp…maybe…I want to play one or two more years.”

Fantasy Impact: Let me be the first to say, I have all the respect in the world for a 12-year veteran who’s won a couple Super Bowls and is willing to work himself back in the league after being cut and being clearly past his prime. That being said, any team that signs Townsend in 2010 and gives him significant playing time is making way for their defense to get killed and for opposing quarterbacks and wide receivers to have field days. Townsend’s play last season ranks right up with Troy Polamalu’s injury as the biggest reasons for the Steelers defense taking the 180 that it took from 2008 to 2009. Teams like the Jets that are already strong at the position won’t even thinking about signing a player like Townsend.If you hear of a cornerback being injured in training camp or preseason and that same player’s team signs Deshea Townsend shortly thereafter, stay away from using this team’s defense in fantasy and always to look to start qb’s and wr’s who will go up against such a team.

Update: NFL spokesman Greg Aiello has confirmed that restricted free agent wide receiver Vincent Jackson will not be required to sign his tender before serving his three-game suspension.

Fantasy Impact: If Jackson doesn’t sign a tender, he will most likely become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. Given that Jackson should have been an unrestricted free agent this offseason but was restricted by this offseason’s no-cap rules, I wouldn’t expect him to sign anything that would delay his next contract, especially given the circumstances; he’s in the prime of his career, catching passes from one of the best quarterbacks in the game who’s also in his prime, with the Chargers about as good as they’ve been at any point in franchise history. There’s no time like the present. Many teams will be looking for a 6’5″ wideout with Jackson’s abilities in free agency next offseason and the 2010 season will cover the course of his audition. I know he’s going to miss the first 3 games but don’t let him fall too far in your draft. Once he hits the field, this dude is primed for a monster season.

Update: The Associated Press is reporting that just like last summer, Brett Favre has been working out in Hattiesburg, Mississippi by throwing to high school receivers as he presumably prepares for his 20th NFL season, though he has not officially announced his return yet. When approached by reporters at the end of the session, Favre ran out of a nearby field house and hopped into his pickup truck, apparently showing no ill effects from the ankle surgery he underwent earlier this offseason.

Fantasy Impact: So you don’t really need me to tell you Favre is coming back, do you? The only real question I had was if he could recover from surgery, and still be able to avoid the rush and step into his throws like we’ve seen him do throughout his career. The light-footedness he displayed and was willing to risk at a mere high school workout shows that he is not only ready but hungry to take the Vikings to that first Super Bowl championship that they fell just short of last season. I personally don’t see him putting up the kind of numbers that he put up last year, but then again, last year I wouldn’t have predicted anything close to 4,200 yards, 33 TD’s, and 7 INT’s.

Update: Baltimore Ravens 14-year receiver Derrick Mason said recently that anything less than a Super Bowl this year would be a disappointment for the Ravens. Mason initially retired before last season, before returning in time for preseason and having another solid season in what may add up to being a Hall of Fame career. Fantasy Impact: Just like guys recovering from disappointing seasons and guys entering contract years, cagey veterans who came back for the sheer purpose of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy have the motivation and determination to be fantasy gold when put in the right situation. Given the great rapport Mason has with quarterback Joe Flacco and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, the great running game the Ravens have, and the one-on-one opportunities Mason should see plenty of as a result of the Ravens’ acquisitions of Anquan Boldin and Donte’ Stallworth earlier this offseason, I would definitely put Mason in the “right situation” category.

Update: ESPN Chicago’s Matt Williamson is reporting that Devin Hester and Johnny Knox are almost a lock to be the Bears’ starting wide receivers this season. New coordinator Mike Martz has had his greatest success throughout his career when coaching small, quick receivers who explode out of their breaks and are outstanding after the catch, namely Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt when Martz was in St. Louis. Knox and Hester fit this description better than any two wideouts on the Bears’ roster, and both bring blazing speed to the table as well.

Fantasy Impact: It’s tough to put too much trust in the Bears’ offense after the debacle that was last season, but I do have faith in Mike Martz and I think Jay Cutler is too talented a quarterback to not thrive under such a mastermind. Hester has been a decent wr since making the conversion from cb, steadily improving his route-running and other intricacies of the position along the way, but has been underrated due to his inability to transfer the consistent game-breaking ability he displayed his first couple years on special teams to the team’s offense. Knox made several highlight-reel plays as well, as a rookie last year, and I would expect the added experience and the presence of Martz to pay big dividends. Neither of these guys should be top 10 or top 12 wr’s, but don’t be afraid to make Hester your no.2 or Knox your no. 3.