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This year's NFL scouting combine begins Wednesday, unofficially marking the start of draft speculation season. Before the prospects are poked and prodded, though, staff writer Matt Vensel has taken his first crack at predicting the first round of April's NFL draft.

Negotiations with Flacco and Rice should start, and free agency market will come in to focus

Even with today's news that Randy Moss plans to come out of retirement, the bumper crop of free-agent wide receivers appears to be thinning out as we learn more about how teams plan to use their franchise tags. How does it affect the Ravens?

After being on the cusp of a Super Bowl trip, Ravens have only minor changes to make

Matt Vensel's Quick Hits on the Ravens' 34-14 loss to San Diego

Of the Ravens' remaining opponents, the toughest might be the 6-7 San Diego Chargers, who were the consesus favorites to win the AFC West before the season.

Prediction Friday: Ravens-Chargers and Orioles trade targets

Jimmy Smith living up to expectations on the field — but not off it. Ravens' rookie cornerback has yet to show 'character issues' that caused his draft stock to drop.

Ravens coach is also "very hopeful" of Lewis return

The timing is a little peculiar, but the Denver Broncos said adieu to former starting quarterback Kyle Orton on Tuesday. He had a good fantasy run under Josh McDaniels, but turnovers did him in with new coach John Fox. Is he worth a waiver claim? You have to read on to find out.

The Philadelphia Eagles haven't been the team we expected (I'm no longer using the 'D' word when talking about the Eagles, and you're welcome). They are 3-5 at the midway point of the season, and their margin for error is slim to make it into the playoffs.

Last week, we looked at the biggest surprises of the 2011 fantasy football campaign. This time around, we will hand out dishonors to the disappointing (non-injured) players who have torpedoed our seasons so far. Try not to cuss too much in the comments section below after receiving this list, OK?

Every season, a few surprise studs come out of fantasy Siberia to reward savvy owners who had the foresight to select them in the later rounds of the draft. A season ago, Adrian Foster, Peyton Hillis and Brandon Lloyd come to mind. Ray Rice, Miles Austin and Sidney Rice were unlikely heroes in 2009. And so on and so forth. Midway through the 2011 season, let's take a look at this year's biggest fantasy surprises.

Ray Rice was both a reality and fantasy football difference-maker in Sunday's 35-7 win over the Steelers. He rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries and added four catches for 42 yards and a score. The pint-sized powerhouse set the tone for the Ravens offense with a 36-yard run on the team's first play from scrimmage. But it was two plays he might not have gotten an opportunity to make a year ago that made him one of the top fantasy performers in Week 1 -- and that also suggest that more touchdowns are on the way.

The news that Peyton Manning will miss Week 1 with a neck injury -- and that his status going forward is unclear -- is good news for the Texans, Ravens, Patriots, Steelers and the other contenders in the AFC. It's bad news for fantasy football owners who were counting on Manning or other Colts to produce this year.