Aaron Maybin signed a five-year deal with the Buffalo Bills, ending his holdout. Maybin will attempt to help a Bills' pass-rush that only yielded 24 sacks last season. This leaves only two first-round picks to be signed: Andre Smith of the Bengals and Michael Crabtree of the 49ers. After Darrius Heyward-Bey got a guaranteed $23.5 million from the Raiders, Crabtree wants more and is threatening to holdout for the entire season. From a fantasy perspective it's hard to recommend drafting him in any redraft format, as he doesn't appear close to signing and with a Week 6 bye, it's hard to imagine him having much of an impact on the first half of the season.
Updating a post from yesterday, Ben Roethlisberger (right foot/achilles) accompanied the team on their trip to Washington. While the injury is not considered serious, he is expected to be held out of Saturday night's game. My guess is it hurts pretty bad when a 345-pound lineman steps on you anywhere. Big Ben should be fine for the start of the season.
Brett Favre made his preseason debut for the Vikings. I would be remiss of my duties if I didn't mention this, even though the night was uneventful as he went 1-for-4 during two series. Expect other news outlets to make this huge story despite the lack of susbstance. On a fantasy note, Farve could be at least worthy of a bye-week fill-in with weapons such as Adrian Peterson, Percy Harvin, Bernard Berrian, and Visanthe Shiancoe at his disposal.
Titan WR Chris Davis was arrested for DUI early Friday morning. Second-year pro Aqib Talib was arrested for assault and resisting arrest late Wednesday night. More positive press for the NFL. Davis, who was already battling a hamstring injury, could have put his roster spot in jeopardy with this fiasco. Patrick Kane Talib, who fought a teammate at last year's rookie symposium, allegedly struck a cab driver and refused to get out of a car when asked to by police. Talib will not face disciplinary action from his team, but could by the league if found guilty of the charges. Talib is expected to play a big role as the Bucs' defense begins life after Derrick Brooks.