By now, with all the mock drafts over with and all the early leagues out of the way, we should know who the top five-top 10 fantasy football picks are for the first round in all leagues this year. Whether it be a PPR league or not, Adrian Peterson, Chris Johnson, Ray Rice, Maurice Jones-Drew and Frank Gore have all been taken as the top five players, not necessarily in this order, but you get the picture.
What about those players your unsure of? Once you get past the first and, maybe, second rounds, the picture is a bit more muddled. Below, I will give a quick analysis of the players FantasyFootball.com has been getting a lot of questions about. Keep in mind that these players are not ranked in any way.
QUARTERBACKS
Kevin Kolb: Kolb has all the tools around him to make himself a winner in his first full year as a starter. I am high on him, but the team is going to have to correct the issues on the offensive line for Kolb to make the team a playoff contender again. He is a borderline starting fantasy quarterback, with the upside to put up top numbers at his position.
Donovan McNabb: Many still consider McNabb a top-10 fantasy quarterback. Not us. While he does have some talent around him like tight end Chris Cooley and wide receiver Santana Moss, injury issues and a new offense push him down to a backup fantasy option. Yes, he has thrown to worse options in the past, but he doesn’t have the legs he used to in order to get away from pressure.
Jay Cutler: Cutler was an interception machine last year but should benefit greatly with Mike Martz calling the offense. The yardage and touchdowns will go up, but don’t expect the turnovers to come down by a considerable margin. Remember, Kurt Warner and Marc Bulger had some of their highest interception totals when Martz was running the Rams back in the day. But even if your league negates points-per-interception, Cutler’s yards and scores should greatly outweigh the negative. He is a starting fantasy option in most leagues. Especially ones that award six points for passing touchdowns.
RUNNING BACKS
Pierre Thomas: Thomas isn’t going to light the league on fire, but he isn’t a slouch, either. The Saints showed enough respect in his abilities by avoiding signing another running back in free agency or drafting one. Thomas, if healthy all year, should finally crack the 1,000-yard mark in 2010. He will still have to share the backfield with Reggie Bush, but look for Thomas to set a career-high in rushing yards.
Matt Forte: Forte’s fantasy value plummeted early in the offseason after a disastrous sophomore year in 2009. The signing of Chester Taylor didn’t help owners’ faith in Forte as a viable fantasy option in 2010. But if you fast-forward to training camp, you’ll hear about a much different Forte. He showed up in great physical condition, something he didn’t do last offseason, and has looked like he will be the primary ball carrier this year. Keep in mind that Forte owners may want to handcuff Taylor in case of injury, but Forte looks like he will be a solid bounce-back candidate.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Pierre Garcon: Garcon should remain a safe WR3 this year. Yeah, Anthony Gonzalez is back, and Peyton Manning has many more options to throw to, but Garcon proved last year that he can be a viable target. Garcon could be a good value pick this year, as I have noticed that his Average Draft Position has fallen a bit in the recent weeks.
Dwayne Bowe: Bowe’s 2010 offseason compared to last year is like night and day. Last year, he showed up in the doghouse and served a four-game suspension for violating the league’s drug policy. This year, he has looked focused and has really matured. With Charlie Weis calling the shots as the offensive coordinator, we see Bowe as another possible bounce-back option in all leagues.
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