The NFL Lockout Is Over - How Does It Affect Your Fantasy Draft?
The NFL Owners voted last week by a 31-0 margin to approve the new
CBA. The players followed their lead on Monday averting a major crisis.
Although the lockout lasted five months, the two sides were able to work
out their issues without sacrificing a single regular season game. The
only casualties were offseason programs and the Hall of Fame Game
between the St. Louis Rams and Chicago Bears.
It is a big victory for the NFL owners and players. If the lockout had spilled over into the regular season, the backlash from fans would have been felt for years.
Still, that does not mean that the lockout will not have a negative impact on the 2011 season. Last year teams had two weeks of OTAs scattered throughout the summer, a rookie three- day minicamp and a three-day team minicamp. Furthermore, players were allowed to work with trainers at the facility and coaches could talk to their players and discuss the playbook or study film.
None of that has happened this year. The players have been left to keep themselves in shape and to study their playbooks. Injured players have not had access to the team doctors or facilities. Some of the rookie head coaches have not even met all their players. There was only a one-day window in April where the lockout was temporarily lifted. While that gave coaches a chance to distribute playbooks, it did not give them time to meet all of their players.
That is going to put every team at a disadvantage, because every team relies on rookies and undrafted free agents to help their team. When you factor in that some of the teams have new coaching staffs it complicates things even more.
What are the five teams that will be the most negatively impacted by the lockout?



