Welcome Jaguars faithful to another exciting NFL season, and more importantly, the start of the fantasy football season. I am James Morris, your fantasy insider, and I will be here to handle all those pesky questions about who you should draft, who you should trade and who you should start from week-to-week.
A little about me: I have been playing fantasy sports for over a decade and typically play in 25 leagues each sports season (basketball, baseball and football) and am never out of contention. I write the fantasy section for the Indiana Pacers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz of the NBA, as well as the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cincinnati Bengals and San Diego Chargers of the NFL.
In this inaugural article we will be taking a look at fantasy draft rankings to help you through the troubled waters of drafting with your mind and not your heart. Lucky for you I leave emotion at the door and give you the unbiased rankings so you can draft a league title team and not a collection of your favorite players on the internet. Without further delay, let's get to the rankings.
QB
##### RB
1 Adrian Peterson – A.P. is the unquestionable #1 overall pick.
2 Maurice Jones-Drew – I am betting on MJD to be the fantasy MVP this season. He is in line for a huge fantasy jump.
3 Matt Forte – Cutler doesn't change his value, Forte is still a fantasy beast.
4 Chris Johnson – Does anyone else think Johnson could be the next Marshall Faulk/Priest Holmes? I could see 1,300 rushing yards and 350 receiving yards this season.
5 Michael Turner – He was overworked last season, making him an injury risk this season. Many people will take him #4, but those in PPR leagues will notice his six total receptions last season.
6 Steve Slaton – His size (5'9") makes him a concern, but nearly 1,300 yards as a rookie makes him well worth the risk.
7 Steven Jackson – Almost every ranking sheet I've seen has S-Jax ranked top 5 for RB's, but why? He barely broke 1,000 yards the last two seasons, now all of a sudden he is going to jump to top 5?
8 Marion Barber – Marion "The Barbarian" has yet to break 1,000 yards, and that concerns me. But, he could be exciting in The Big-D.
9 Brandon Jacobs – I am not a fan of Eli Manning or the Giants receiving corps, so Jacobs becomes the safest bet to score for me. But, he can't catch and is an injury concern.
10 LaDainian Tomlinson – I sure hope LT2 proves me wrong, but at 30-years-old revitalization isn't likely. The Chargers run a lot, so that will hold his value as long as he doesn't get injured again.
11 Frank Gore – I wish I could have bumped Jackson lower, but the Niners O-Line makes Gore likely to be another fantasy bust.
12 Brian Westbrook – The Eagles are looking to win a Super Bowl and they know a January healthy Westbrook is more effective than an injured one. His touches could drop.
13 Clinton Portis – Portis is a guy that sneaks under the radar every season, but he is a workhorse. I like him as a top tier RB2.
14 Kevin Smith – A rookie QB means Detroit's offense could actually suffer. That being said, when times get rough they will turn to Smith and the running game.
15 DeAngelo Williams – Jonathan Stewart makes Williams a strong decline candidate. RB2 is his best bet.
16 Pierre Thomas – I know this will throw many people off, so let me explain. This is a typical scoring system ranking, meaning Bush isn't worth as much as Thomas. Thomas will be the real RB in New Orleans and he could be a fantasy sleeper this season. Bush in a PPR league is worth more than a typical league, but he is a BIG injury risk.
17 Ronnie Brown – As an RB2, Brown offers good value. He should be able to reach 8-10 TD's, and that makes him worth playing.
18 Marshawn Lynch – Lynch is suspended for the first three games and if Fred Jackson fills in too well, Lynch's value may drop even further. I'm not a fan of his this season.
19 Derrick Ward – You can most likely get Ward so cheap that his value makes him too good to pass on. Remember, he is the starter in Tampa Bay now.
20 Jonathan Stewart – Stewart will push Williams for carries, and could take over at some point. He is more of a RBBC player, but he could become more, sooner rather than later.
21 Darren McFadden – The Raiders offense was clearly better with McFadden on the field last season, but his health is a concern. A true boom or bust player.
22 Knowshon Moreno – Denver is going to realize what they have at QB early on, making Moreno a sneaky RB2/flex option.
23 Ryan Grant – Grant was a fantasy bust much of last season, and let's not forget the five total TD's last season. He won't see an increased workload with Rodgers at the helm.
24 Chris Wells – Hightower may be the starter, but Wells will hold the full-season value. I like Moreno as the rookie MVP, but Wells has the skills to give him a run for the money.
Continues tomorrow with running backs, tight ends, and defense.
