Arian Foster is poised to repeat his eye popping 2010 fantasy year
Not only is ChiSide here for your music, sports, and fashion needs, but we’ll also be providing fantasy sports information as well! Now that football is back, the earth’s most popular fantasy sport is on its way to yet another exciting season. Self-proclaimed fantasy guru Blake Pon will be providing your weekly pickups, amongst other things. Here is his first foray into fantasy rankings, beginning with a preseason top fifteen list for each relevant position (kickers are all the same, in my opinion). Here goes.
Quarterbacks
- Aaron Rodgers
Not only is he a complete stud, but looking at his schedule he not only never has to face an elite defense all year, he gets the Bears and Lions in weeks 16 and 17, aka fantasy playoffs. - Michael Vick
The sky is the limit this year for Vick, who’ll get his first shot at starting the whole year. Oh, and with Nnamdi Asomugha on his team, that’s one less scary DB he has to face. - Peyton Manning
One of the safest picks every year, considering durability/consistency. - Philip Rivers
He could hit any target. Also, gets to face the Lions and an Asomugha-less Raider squad during fantasy playoffs. - Drew Brees
After somewhat of a disappointment in 2010 (career high 22 INTs), Brees slides down a spot. - Tom Brady
Added stud Chad Ochocinco to his receiving corps will definitely help. - Tony Romo
As long as he doesn’t get hurt, he should have no problem getting the ball to Miles Austin and Dez Bryant as well as gaining some yards on the ground. - Matt Ryan
May have a huge year with top fantasy receiver Roddy White and ROY candidate Julio Jones. Also resigned Pro Bowl OT Tyson Clabo. - Matt Schaub
Having Andre Johnson and Arian Foster always helps. - Ben Roethlisberger
Faces a tough schedule as always, with Baltimore twice and improved secondaries like Cincinnati. - Matthew Stafford
If he can stay healthy, he has the potential to break the top 8. The Lions’ offense is deadly. - Josh Freeman
After starting all 16 games as a rookie, Freeman only threw 6 INTs all year. If he can up his 25 TD total (which he should) and be just as consistent, he’ll be a steal. - Eli Manning
Threw for 4000 yards and 31 TDs. The bad part? Almost matched it with 25 INTs. Facing the talented Eagles’ secondary twice won’t be fun either. - Kevin Kolb
Improved O-line, gets one of the league’s nicest toys in Larry Fitzgerald. - Sam Bradford
Set rookie records by throwing for 3500+ yards with lawn chairs as targets. Also have to like the Mike Sims-Walker acquisition for him.
Runningbacks
- Arian Foster
The number one overall fantasy player. Give a lot of credit to the Texan O-Line, which is one of the league’s best when it comes to run blocking. Foster should be able to come close to repeating his 1600+ yard, 16 TD season. - Adrian Peterson
Safe is the word here. Peterson cleaned up his fumbling problems last year, fumbling only once all season. Drafting him over Foster isn’t a crime, they’re interchangeable. - Jamaal Charles
Otherworldly talent. Had the highest YPC (6.4) since Jim Brown. Let’s hope Todd Haley doesn’t limit him to an astounding six starts this year and give playing time where playing time is due. - Chris Johnson
After a “disappointing” 2010 where CJ nearly repeated his rookie campaign, Johnson shouldn’t be overlooked. How many backs can repeat a 2000+ yard season? Bringing in Matt Hasselbeck should help as well. - Ray Rice
Getting rid of Willis Mcgahee means more goal line touches which means more TDs. - Rashard Mendenhall
Should get more touches after the division improved its secondary as a whole. - Michael Turner
Julio Jones might hurt him just a little, but there’s no stopping this workhorse. Just hope he doesn’t get hurt while setting an NFL record for carries. - Lesean McCoy
If Desean Jackson holds out for a long period of time, McCoy will certainly be seeing the ball heading his way a bit more. - Darren McFadden
Plays on a team that will be playing from behind a lot, also wildly inconsistent last year. - Maurice Jones-Drew
Coming off of knee surgery doesn’t sound good at all. He may be a risky pick this year. - Shonn Greene
Expected to be the team’s primary rusher. Breakout year? - Frank Gore
See: Darren McFadden - Matt Forte
Pass catching machine. Marion Barber acquisition certainly screams TD vulture. - Steven Jackson
If this guy had an O-line he’d be top five every year. - Peyton Hillis
Stud RB week-to-week last season. Montario Hardesty is waiting in the fold and will steal some carries, unfortunately.
Wide Receivers
- Andre Johnson
Played last year with a nagging ankle injury and still caught 86 passes for 1216 yards and 8 TDs. As safe as they come. - Larry Fitzgerald
Still caught 90 passes for 1137 yards with various QBs. Imagine what he’ll do with Kevin Kolb. - Hakeem Nicks
Surprising that he’s ranked above studs like Roddy White? With the loss of Steve Smith, only Mario Manningham is left to take some catches away. In 13 games last season, Nicks caught 11 TDs and 79 receptions for a little over 1000 yards. Scary. - Calvin Johnson
QB concerns are his downfall. Matthew Stafford is great, but can he keep his arms in his sockets this year? If so, Megatron has a chance to be a top three receiver. - Roddy White
Ridiculous year last year with 115 catches for 1389 yards and 10 TDs. No way he’ll repeat with newcomer Julio Jones taking away some catches. Still a very safe pick, though. - Reggie Wayne
Quietly caught 111 passes last year for 1355 yards. Only had 6 TDs, however. With Austin Collie coming back healthy, the numbers could dip. - Miles Austin
Could have been top five if Dez Bryant wasn’t on the team. Also, don’t forget Jason Witten (caught almost 30 more passes than Austin). Buyer beware. - Vincent Jackson
Technically a number two receiver behind Antonio Gates. When your QB throws for nearly 5000 yards and 30 TDs, a lot of it will be to V-Jax. - Brandon Marshall
He was the fifth most targeted WR in 2010. Besides his three touchdowns, he still caught 86 passes for 1000+ yards. With a new offensive coordinator, the Dolphins offensive should be a little better than the mess they were last season. - Mike Wallace
Although he only caught 60 passes last year, his 21.0 YPC will make you forget about it. - Greg Jennings
Was barely a top 30 receiver when TE Jermichael Finley was present for the first five weeks of the 2010 season. Could be a huge bust with a healthy Finley, as well as the emergence of Jordy Nelson and James Jones. - Desean Jackson
Mike Wallace .5. Caught only 47 passes, but they were all deep, as he had a league high 22.5 YPC. - Mike Williams (TB)
65 receptions, 900+ yards, 11 TDs shouldn’t be overlooked for a rookie. - Dwayne Bowe
Caught 72 passes and 15 TDs last year. Has top 10 receiver potential, but unfortunately stuck in an anemic offense. - Brandon Lloyd
Had a ridiculous breakout season, improving to 76 catches for an astounding 1448 yards. Although if Tim Tebow takes the reigns at some point, it could spell his fantasy doom.
Tight Ends
- Antonio Gates
No argument needed. - Jermichael Finley
Has all the talent in the world to wrestle away the number one ranking at TE, just needs to stay healthy. - Dallas Clark
Don’t forget about him due to his injury in week 6. Was on pace for nearly 100 catches before it. - Vernon Davis
If he had a QB he would be in the same sentence as Finley and Gates. Gets a ridiculous 16.3 YPC. - Jason Witten
Probably the safest pick due to him never missing a start since his rookie season. Also averaged about 91 receptions over the last four years. Can’t go wrong here. - Jimmy Graham
This year’s breakout TE. In five starts last year, he recorded 31 receptions and five TDs. With Jeremy Shockey finally gone, he’ll be getting full attention from gunslinger Drew Brees. Watch out. - Kellen Winslow
Coming off of a 66 reception year. The team’s second best option besides Mike Williams. - Owen Daniels
After having a dip in stats the last year, Daniels looks to redeem himself this year. - Tony Gonzalez
Can’t ask for a more safe and durable TE. Getting up there in age but should still put up around 70-750. - Visante Shiancoe
Donovan McNabb loves feeding his TEs. Chris Cooley caught 77 passes with a torn meniscus. - Jared Cook
Odds are you never heard of this guy. Has drawn comparisons to Calvin Johnson. Might break into the top seven and be a late round steal. - Chris Cooley
Bless his soul due to the QB situation in Washington. I’ll be impressed if he breaks 65 catches with John Beck or Rex Grossman behind center. - Marcedes Lewis
Will be in one of the worst offenses in 2011. Somehow caught 10 TDs last year, but don’t use that number as an indicator. Could be a huge hit-or-miss. - Zach Miller
Relatively productive in Oakland with no QB. Will be in similar situation in Seattle. Solid pickup. - Brandon Pettigrew
Will likely be the target when Calvin Johnson is handling double teams. Quietly caught 71 passes.
Defense/Special Teams
- Green Bay Packers
The best all-around defense there is by-far. You’ll get a ton of sacks from guys like Clay Matthews, and INTs from Charles Woodson, Tramon Williams. - Pittsburgh Steelers
Never doubt defensive coordinator/magician Dick Lebeau. - Philadelphia Eagles
Signing every single free agent (Asomugha, Babin, etc.) and acquiring Rodgers-Cromartie from Arizona certainly helps. A lot. Don’t forget about Desean Jackson returning punts, either. - New York Jets
A poor man’s Packers (not an insult by any means). - Baltimore Ravens
Can’t bet against guys like Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. - Chicago Bears
Notoriously tough to rank. Might be great, or might be horrendous. Has huge depth on the defensive line, which will make it tough for teams to run. Besides Charles Tillman, however, Zack Bowman and Tim Jennings are question marks. - New England Patrios
Had a mediocre year last year due to injuries. If Albert Haynesworth and Shaun Ellis play near their potential, this might be a scary team. Don’t forget about Leigh Bodden and Devin McCourty at CB either. - New Orleans Saints
Overrated last year, but should play to their rating this year. Added Aubrayo Franklin and Shaun Rogers to help the run defense. May also have the best secondary in the league next to Philadelphia. - San Diego Chargers
Could be a top five defense by the end of the year. Know why? They allowed the fewest yards last year and produced the third most sacks. Their only downfall was special teams, which allowed four TDs and a safety. Also add into the equation potential-stud Corey Liuget and LB Takeo Spikes. - New York Giants
Led the league with 46 turnovers last season. Hopefully the secondary holds up with the loss of rookie Prince Amukamara to a broken foot. - Dallas Cowboys
Demarcus Ware is an absolute beast but with little to no help. New defensive coordinator Rob Ryan hopefully can help the secondary improve just a little bit, because they were terrible last year. - Detroit Lions
Nick Fairley and Ndamukong Suh will equate to big sack numbers and small rushing yards allowed. The secondary is still questionable though, which keeps the Lions out of the top 10 this year. - Kansas City Chiefs
The surprise of the 2010 season, the Chiefs look to remain great. A solid line led by Tamba Hali as well as a strong secondary containing rising star Brandon Flowers, Brandon Carr and Eric Berry make the Chiefs look like a promising pick. - San Francisco 49ers
What was once a great defense in 2009 (ranked number one), has fallen to the 14th spot in 2010. Standouts Patrick Willis and Justin Smith can’t do it alone. Hopefully rookie Aldon Smith can pick up the slack. The 49ers shouldn’t have a problem containing the run, but losing Nate Clements will hurt the pass defense. Carlos Rogers and Taylor Mays are question marks in the secondary.
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