Fantasy Football

A quick recap of my top 30 rankings…..Tomlinson, Jackson, Gore, Addai, L Johnson, Westbrook, Parker, Jones-Drew, Maroney, R Johnson, Bush, McAllister, McGahee, Jacobs, Portis, Alexander, Brown, Henry, Norwood, Benson, Green, Barber III, T Jones, J Jones, Taylor, Betts, Lynch, Peterson, D Williams, James.

31. Carnell Williams (TB)- Cadillac certainly deserves to be ranked this low based on his ‘06 statistics. His 3.90 YPT was terrible, and his 0.41 PPT is indicative of Mike Alstott stealing the Bucs goal line touches. However, Williams has a few things going for him this season. Mike Alstott has retired, and with his retirement he leaves Williams his TD opportunities. Also, if Jeff Garcia can imitate the QB he was at the end of last season, Tampa Bay should be able to move the ball more often. Michael Pittman will play on 3rd downs, so Williams’ value will be limited to what he can do on the ground and how many TDs he can punch in. If he can stay healthy, Cadillac could end up a being a bargain on draft day.

If Vernand Morency can shake the injury bug, he has definite sleeper potential.

32. Vernand Morency (GB)- I’ll go on the record and say that I like Morency. He’s a very elusive back, with decent hands to go along with it. His obvious problem is that he can’t stay healthy. With his preseason knee injury setting him back a bit, it looks as if rookie Brandon Jackson will start week 1 for the Packers. However, I strongly believe that Morency will prove the more productive RB of the two when he touches the ball. Most people are going to draft Jackson over Morency, but I would go the opposite direction.

33. Tatum Bell (DET)- Kevin Jones is looking like he’s not going to make it back into uniform until at least week 6 of the regular season, which leaves Bell as the starting RB in Detroit to start the year. His 4.44 YPT in Denver last season wasn’t bad, but it remains questionable as to whether or not T.J. Duckett will steal his goal line carries as Mike Bell did in ‘06. Mike Martz seems to love Bell, which is never a bad thing from a fantasy perspective. He should produce solid numbers in a good Lions offense while he’s in there, but Kevin Jones will play when healthy.

34. Kevin Jones (DET)- Had it not been for the season-ending foot injury in ‘06, Jones would have topped 1,500 total yards and scored at least 10 TDs. While he won’t be back until week 6, he’s talented enough to grab at a good price and stash away for later. If it becomes mid-late in your draft, and Jones is still there, you could do a lot worse than calling out his name.

35. Jamal Lewis (CLE)- I suppose because he is a starting RB in the NFL that he deserves some attention, although I prefer to give him zero. His 3.76 YPT shouldn’t raise any in Cleveland, and his TD opportunities will obviously be scarce. He will produce some decent statistical weeks only because he will get the ball, but you would be better off taking someone with more upside.

36. LenDale White (TEN)- White has some obvious talent, but his injuries and lack of work ethic may never allow him to realize it. The Titans are going to give him the chance to start the regular season, but rookie Chris Henry and the unexplainable Chris Brown are awaiting his possible failures. There is no telling how this situation will play out as the season gets underway.

37. Chester Taylor (MIN)- With Adrian Peterson coming to town, Taylor is almost like a forgotten man in Minnesota. The Vikings don’t appear to think that Taylor has what it takes to be an every down back, and they could be correct. If Peterson is healthy, Taylor won’t see the field enough to produce good numbers. However, Taylor is ranked here because the chance of Peterson remaining healthy is probably slim to none.

38. Brandon Jackson (GB)- He was the Packers 2nd round pick out of Nebraska, and looks to be their week 1 starter by default. Again, I think Morency will prove the more productive RB for fantasy owners once the season is a few games in, but Jackson does deserve a look around this time.

39. DeShaun Foster (CAR)- Let me ask…..what happened to DeShaun Foster in ‘06? There is just no excuse for 4.08 YPT and 0.48 PPT from a player of Foster’s talent level. Maybe he will show up to play in ‘07, but even if he does, it doesn’t look like he’ll be able to steal a full time gig from DeAngelo Williams.

40. LaMont Jordan (OAK)- The Raiders are a disaster. They signed Dominic Rhodes; he’s suspended for 4 games, so it’s back to Jordan to begin the season. The real problem is that Jordan and Rhodes aren’t that good even if they weren’t going to be splitting carries from week 5 on. It is probably best to just avoid the entire Oakland team for fantasy purposes.

41. Dominic Rhodes (OAK)- See LaMont Jordan

42. Warrick Dunn (ATL)- Dunn is soon going to realize that the RB show in Atlanta no longer belongs to him. Jerious Norwood will shine early on, and Dunn will likely be limited to 3rd down duties by season’s end. That is, of course, if he can stay healthy.

43. Mike Bell (DEN)- Travis Henry has shown in the past that he is no guarantee to stay healthy, and I still believe that Bell will get goal line carries even when Henry is healthy. Bell had a solid 4.72 YPT in ‘06, showing that he is capable of very good numbers given the opportunity. Bell is a must handcuff for all Henry owners.

44. Michael Turner (SD)- Yes, it is handcuff territory, and there aren’t any better to have in fantasy football than Turner. Call me crazy if you want, but if Tomlinson went down with a serious injury, you wouldn’t lose much production as long as you had Turner to use the rest of the year. It goes without saying, but Turner is a must handcuff for Tomlinson owners.

45. Chris Henry (TEN)- The Titans RB situation is going to be wild in ‘07. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see LenDale White, Chris Brown, and the rookie Henry all start at least one game before the season is over. Who knows, if White proves unproductive or gets injured, Henry could produce for fantasy owners before it is all said and done.

46. Chris Brown (TEN)- See Chris Henry

47. Reuben Droughns (NYG)- Because I am a big believer in Brandon Jacobs, I don’t see Droughns as any more than a handcuff RB. He doesn’t have bad hands, so he could see work on 3rd down.

48. Adrian Peterson (CHI)- Mark my words, the Vikings’ Adrian Peterson won’t be the only one with fantasy value in ‘07. Cedric Benson is very injury prone, and I think this Peterson has the skills to be very productive if needed. If you are going for Benson, make sure and stash Peterson on your bench.

49. Leon Washington (NYJ)- 5.23 YPT in ‘06 shows that Washington is very explosive. He might not be big enough to carry a full load of work, but he’ll hold solid fantasy value if Thomas Jones goes down or doesn’t produce. He is well worth drafting late and storing on your bench.

50. Anthony Thomas (BUF)- If Marshawn Lynch doesn’t show much early in ‘07, Thomas will likely begin to take snaps away from the rookie. Only a serious Lynch injury however would give Thomas a huge workload in any game this season. He can be handcuffed to Lynch at his owner’s pleasure.

Feel free to email me at Joseph.Badalucco@451press.net with any questions you might have regarding your own team or draft.