Fantasy Football Preview

Arian Foster showing Jordan Babineaux his new gloves.

The NFL Pre-Season has started and that means two things:

First off, if you haven’t joined a league yet, you are running out of time.  Second off, Drew Brees’s days are numbered.   Not a personal threat, but Madden 2011 has hit the shelves so it’s only a matter of time.

The BHSN is expanding upon it’s usual college pick em with a local NFL Fantasy League, but we’ll cover that later.  To renew my desire for a league that left me very disappointed with it’s officiating on several occasions last year, and to prepare for the added competition coming to the NFL predictions column this year I’ve fully dedicated myself to my research.  Part of that research includes participation in a few fantasy leagues.  Based upon player growth last year in both the NFL and NCAA I’ve compiled the following rankings to help out those who have less success at drafting a fantasy team.

Hampton’s Top 25 Fantasy Picks:

1. Chris Johnson
2. Adrian Peterson
3. Ray Rice
4. Maurice Jones-Drew
5. Aaron Rodgers
6. Micheal Turner
7. Frank Gore
8. Drew Brees
9. Andre Johnson
10. Peyton Manning
11. Rashard Mendenhall
12. Steven Jackson
13. Randy Moss
14. Jamaal Charles
15. Tom Brady
16. Reggie Wayne
17. Miles Austin
18. Calvin Johnson
19. Roddy White
20. Brandon Marshall
21. DeSean Jackson
22. Larry Fitzgerald
23. Ryan Grant
24. Shonn Greene
25. Pierre Thomas

There are a few people that aren’t listed that some of you may be curious about.  Ryan Matthews will put up good numbers, but he doesn’t seen much play near the end zone which really hurts his fantasy value.  DeAngelo Williams is on a lot of peoples top 25s but tandems rarely continue to flourish in back to back years without one player becoming slowly overtaking the majority of the carries.  We saw a definite fall in the Giants three piece scheme with Bradshaw and Jacobs dropping off and Ward becoming non-existent.

There are also some players that I ranked a bit lower than you would expect as well.  Fitzgerald for instance will miss the rest of the pre-season and will suffer without Warner’s ability to lead him without running him into hungry free safeties.  Frank Gore’s numbers will likely slide a bit with Alex Smith growing a bit more confident and with the development of Crabtree and Ted Gin Jr.  Other variances are due to realistic expectations and myself ranking consistency over one break out season.

I’ve also compiled a list of some players who may slide down a few rounds from their normal rounds.  I’d keep an eye out for Ronnie Brown during rounds 4-5 as he can gain back his starting role.  Look for C.J. Spiller in the late 3rd to early 4th round as he looks to be the Bills starter due to injuries.   As for players that may go undrafted, here are my sleepers:

1. Arian Foster RB
2. Dexter McCluster WR
3. Bernard Berrian WR
4. Jerricho Cotchery WR
5. Chad Henne QB
6. Malcolm Floyd WR
7. Josh Cribbs WR
8. Terrell Owens WR
9. Nate Burleson WR
10. Mike Williams WR

Foster proved himself last year while Slaton quite literally dropped the ball.  Tate who was slated to take over the number one slot has already picked up an injury which has opened up the way for Foster to put up some really good points this year.

McCluster is being tweaked into all folds of the Chiefs offense and look for him to average 5 carries a game and as the potential to produce similar stats to Mike Wallace last year.

Bernard Berrian produced nice numbers after finally becoming healthy, and used to be the Vikings number 1 receiver.

Jerricho Cotchery used to be the Jets go to guy, and with the addition of both Holmes and Edwards he is going overlooked in some leagues.  With Holmes suspension Cotchery can put up solid number 2 stats during the first 4 games, and his value will sink with Holmes return however, making an easy to cut player when your need to replace your Tight End or Kicker for a week.

Chad Henne put up solid numbers last year after Pennington’s injury and has potential to blossom into an adequate starting fantasy option.  He will probably never average 30+ a game, but should deliver a solid 20.  More than you can usually expect from a QB coming after the 7th round.

Malcom Floyd isn’t going entirely undrafted, but he is usually there around round 10.  He should be the number 1 receiver in San Diego while Jackson is off being a baby, so keep an eye on him around round 8.

Josh Cribbs in an interesting item.  He will likely factor into the Browns RB race, as well as being a slot receiver.  This means Cribbs is capable of putting up 8-10 points a week in most leagues, with potential for much more.

I never thought I’d see Terrell Owens go undrafted, but he has done so in 2 out of 5 drafts I witnessed, with myself taking him twice after the 8th round.  It appears Palmer is going to throw to him as well, so look for TO’s numbers to rival that of Ocho Cinco if he stays healthy.  A great pick after your starters are in order.

Nate Burleson seems to be the Lions go to guy near the end zone.  He’s not afraid to take a hit which makes him a great option for Stafford in the red zone.  Don’t look for him to put up a lot of yards, a TD a week makes up for that.

Mike Williams has already made his way into the the starting line up.  Watch his output as he’s likely to be a quick target for an injury pickup.

Tags: bhsn, Fantasy Football, hampton forecast, nfl

This entry was posted on Monday, August 16th, 2010 at 9:27 pm and is filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.