Fantasy: Off-Season Depth Chart Outlook – NFC West

The playoffs are still rolling along, but, if you know me, you know I’ve been anticipating off-season player movement for about a month now.

Already posted are a pretty list of 2012 Free Agents at the important offensive Fantasy Football positions and a ridiculously early/preliminary/don’t take this too seriously set of 2012 Player Rankings, which, of course, is impacted by off-season  player movement speculation.

Today, I’m going to kick off a new series where I’ll be going team-by-team and taking a look at each team’s roster situation at the aforementioned positions. I’ll also be speculating on a few potential off-season moves we could see each of these teams make. Some of this advice will help in 2012 redraft leagues, but it will lean even heavier towards you dynasty leaguers.

I’ll get started with the NFC West since three of their four teams are already eliminated and have most of their Reserve/Future contracts taken care of.

Off we go.

Arizona Cardinals

Kevin Kolb and John Skelton are both under contract through, at least, 2013, but it’s possible management could look for an upgrade. The Peyton Manning rumors are already out there, but, if that doesn’t come through, don’t expect a change. Adding yet another kid with upside (Flynn/J Johnson) doesn’t make a ton of sense and a veteran (Orton/Campbell) doesn’t offer much of an upgrade. Arizona has the rights to both Richard Bartel and Max Hall.

Beanie Wells and Ryan Williams should be expected to handle all of the backfield touches in 2012. Wells proved he has the skills for the NFL level in 2011, but Williams – a 2011 second round pick – isn’t going to rot on the bench. Wells’ constant injuries are a concern, but part of the problem this past season was a very heavy workload every week. Handing Williams 8-12 touches, including passing down work, would help with that. LaRod Stephens-Howling is a restricted free agent and will likely be tendered, but he’s not much of a force on offense. Alfonso Smith will compete for a roster spot with William Powell. UFA Chester Taylor is likely a goner.

Larry Fitzgerald is signed through 2018 and fellow starter Andre Roberts is good for another two years. Early Doucet, however, is an UFA. Doucet hasn’t emerged as they had hoped, but he still produced solid production as the No. 3 wideout in 2011 and could be re-signed. DeMarco Sampson and Chansi Stuckey rotated in the No. 4 WR role in 2011 and both are still under contract. Sampson will have a leg-up on Stuckey for the No. 3 job if Doucet leaves and no replacement is added. Arizona also has the rights to Stephen Williams and Isaiah Williams.

Todd Heap was given a two-year deal last off-season and is the opening day favorite to start. Jeff King and Jim Dray will provide blocking and Rob Housler should see additional work in the receiving game. Steve Skelton and Martell Webb were given Futures contracts.

Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks are similar to Arizona in that they technically have a quarterback in place, but could use an upgrade. Tarvaris Jackson was given a two-year contract last off-season and is the current favorite to open 2012 as the starter. Charlie Whitehurst is an UFA and they like Josh Portis, but it’s unlikely they’ll feel good about him as the No. 2. Instead, expect the team to draft their long-term quarterback this off-season. If they don’t, they will be in the market for a Matt Flynn, Josh Johnson, or Kyle Orton.

Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett are both UFAs. If they don’t work out a long-term deal for the workhorse, they’ll slap the Franchise Tag on him. Forsett’s status is unclear, but there isn’t much depth behind Lynch, not is there a big need for his services elsewhere. He has a decent chance to return, even with Leon Washington under contract. Allen Bradford and Tyrell Sutton will be in the mix for a roster spot, especially if Forsett moves on.

Sidney Rice and Golden Tate are both under contract and are the favorites to be the Week 1 starters at wideout in 2012. Mike Williams’ role is on the decline and his best case scenario appears to be WR No. 4 if he isn’t cut. Doug Baldwin will man the slot. Ben Obomanu is in a similar spot to Williams and one would have to imagine that at least once of these two players won’t make the 2012 roster. Deon Butler missed most of the 2012 season and could also be on the outside looking in. Kris Durham, Ricardo Lockette, and Charly Martin are also on the roster.

Zach Miller is signed through 2015. John Carlson missed all of 2011 and is an UFA. It’s hard to imagine him back in a No. 2 role, but Seattle did lean towards the run and occasionally 2-TE sets down the stretch, which could be used to persuade him into re-signing. Cam Morrah’s snaps were up and down late in the year, but he’ll be in the TE No. 2/3 mix as a receiving-first threat. Anthony McCoy is around to block and John Nalbone has a Futures contract.

St. Louis Rams

Sam Bradford is going to be the team’s starter in 2012. Even if they wanted to draft Robert Griffin II second overall, they’d have to trade Bradford to do it and that won’t happen considering his massive contract. The better question is who will back him up. AJ Feeley, Kellen Clemens, and Tom Brandstater are all UFAs. Considering Bradford’s struggles and 2011 injury issues, a capable veteran should be on the radar. Just don’t expect to see Vince Young if Jeff Fisher is hired.

Steven Jackson has another two years on his contract, but the situation behind him has been a mess for years and Jackson is getting up there in age in ‘running back years’. Cadillac Williams was a serviceable back-up when healthy, but both he and Jerious Norwood are UFAs. Quinn Porter’s contract status is unknown, but he has a chance to be in camp to compete with Chase Reynolds for a roster spot.

Brandon Lloyd is an UFA and already being connected to Josh McDaniels in New England. If he leaves, the Rams will definitely be looking to either Justin Blackmon with the second overall pick or Free Agency for a replacement. There’s a long list of UFA star receivers, but the most likely to be available are Vincent Jackson, DeSean Jackson, and Reggie Wayne. Danario Alexander will be back and has a shot at the No. 2 job. The team will welcome four (yes, four) wide receivers back from Injured Reserve, but two are of the UFA status (Danny Amendola, Mark Clayton). Amendola is tricky to guess on because the team is changing systems and has Greg Salas and Austin Pettis in the wings as potential replacements for his slot snaps. Clayton should be back to 100% health and should get a look in camp. Brandon Gibson is the only other real threat to make the roster and he’ll be in a contract year. Dominque Curry is a Special Teams specialist and Nick Miller was an injury replacement. John Chiles was given a Futures contract.

The new coaching staff will try to do in 2012 what injuries and rookie struggles didn’t allow Josh McDaniels to do this past season: take advantage of a young TE duo with lots of potential. Lance Kendricks played a ton down the stretch and, bearing in mind his receiving ability, has to be considered one of the top breakout candidates at the position next season. Mike Hoomanawanui can’t stay healthy, but will enter 2012 as the team’s top blocker at the position. Billy Bajema and Stephen Spach helped fill in for Hoomanawanui when he was out. Mike McNeill and Ben Guidugli added depth to the position, but will be on the roster bubble if they’re in camp next season. DeMarco Cosby was given a Futures contract.

San Francisco 49ers

Alex Smith will be an UFA this off-season, but there’s a very good chance he’s back with a multi-year deal in 2012. If not, the team will aim higher, but likely with a short-term fill-in rather than a Matt Flynn or Josh Johnson. They already have 2011 rookie Colin Kaepernick waiting in the wings. Scott Tolzien will compete for the No. 3 job.

Frank Gore continues to produce, but his role is clearly in question with Kendall Hunter emerging behind him. This has the makings of a committee going forward with the edge going to the veteran and superior-talented Gore. Anthony Dixon can’t be pleased with his role, but he’s under contract through 2013. I won’t touch on very many full back situations, but Bruce Miller and Moran Norris went at it all season long. Norris is an UFA, however, so the job should be all Miller’s in 2012.

Michael Crabtree hasn’t grown into the wide receiver many expected, but he’s clearly this team’s top asset at the position. The team is also very run heavy, which means that they don’t necessarily need to be especially strong here. That being said, Ted Ginn, Joshua Morgan, and Brett Swain are all impending UFAs. That leaves Kyle Williams as the only real threat for regular action behind Crabtree. Morgan has a fair chance to be resigned, but Ginn isn’t much of a threat at wideout regardless. Joe Hastings, John Matthews, Kyle Nelson and Dontavia Bogan could make their way to camp, but none are a real threat for significant snaps right now. The Niners will look to add some depth to the position via the draft or Free Agency, but it’d be a moderate surprise if it was an elite name.

Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker combine to create one of the best duos of receiving tight ends in football. They’re both under contract in 2012. Justin Peelle does some blocking, but is an UFA. Nate Byham (fresh off IR) and Futures contract candidate Konrad Reuland will compete for a roster spot in camp. Byham has a shot to replace Peelle’s snaps.

Follow Mike Clay on Twitter: @PFF_MikeClay