Smith and Marshall suspended, only slightly re-ranked

To echo something that MJD discussed earlier today, conditions in camp are favorable for fighting. In fact, many of the things that happen during actual games are just loosely-scripted fights.

So the Steve Smith-Ken Lucas incident isn't exactly a surprise. But the two-game suspension? That definitely is.

If he weren't so good, it would seriously impact Smith's fantasy value.

But how far are you really willing to drop a healthy player who remains an elite talent? Go look at the Yahoo! receiver rankings. Maybe you're giving a slight edge to Colston and Houshmandzadeh. But Welker?

Boldin?

Williams?

I'm still drafting Smith ahead of those guys. It's not like Carolina suspended him for the fantasy playoffs. Smith will miss the opening two weeks, and then you'll get him back. Don't overreact here, and don't make a panic trade if you begin the fantasy season 0-1.

According to some reports, the NFL will suspend Brandon Marshall for three games, but it might be reduced to two if he agrees to undergo counseling. In Marshall's case, the off-the-field issues were already factored into his ranking, and a two-game suspension (three if he's a fool) would be much better than we'd feared.

He was my No. 15 receiver on July 8, and that's where he's staying. Again, it's not like the league suspended him for Weeks 15 and 16. The suspension won't affect his eligibility to play when you need him most.