The Seahawks are a team in transition.  They are about to need to replace Matt Hasselbeck and they just made a trade for Charlie Whitehurst on draft day this year.  Whitehurst looked great in week one of the preseason and is said to have the opportunity to win the starting job this year.  I don’t buy that at all.  Even with a new coaching staff in place the job is Hasselbeck’s until the playoffs gets out of reach.  In the past few years the Seahawks have been quite active making moves and signing free agent talent.  But after a very forgettable one year stint for Coach Mora it became clear that they needed to go back to the drawing board.  Julius Jones remains the coaches favorite at running back with the new administration, much to the chagrin of fantasy owners like me who love Justin Forsett.  What frustrates me the most is that these coaches are clearly not watching any GAME film and are too focused on practice.  To end last season Forsett was the only guy that could get ANYTHING done.  Do not expect much from any Seahawks this year, but you should be able to get both Forsett and Houshmandzadeh at a pretty good  deal.

Top Fantasy Players

Justin Forsett – The most talented player on the team, not a great team but good enough that Forsett would be higher than 26th in my rankings if the coaches weren’t in love with Julius Jones for no reason at all.

TJ Houshmandzadeh – Last year was pretty disappointing, but Nate Burleson can’t take all them targets from him, so he should rebound pretty well this year if they get quality play from their line and QB.

Matt Hasselbeck – Once he was a great player, I think his time in this league has reached an end.  I expect Whitehurst to be starting by the end of the season and Hasselbeck’s retirement to come early in the off season.  Don’t draft him… even in a 2 QB format.

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This is the year of Frank Gore.  After drafting two offensive linemen this year and discovering that Alex Smith is indeed starting to develop nicely as a leader of their offense, I predict Frank Gore to be the biggest beneficiary.  Last year, through mediocre line play, a quarterback change and an injury Gore was the 6th highest producing RB in fantasy football.  Crabtree is another guy that should exceed expectations this year once he has a full off-season and training camp under his belt to build a rhythm with the offense.  The 49ers just brought in veteran Brian Westbrook after the retirement of Glen Coffee and he should be a great compliment to Gore who can come in on obvious passing scenarios.

Fantasy Relevant Players

Frank Gore – I predict 1600 yards and at least 10 Touchdowns.  The reason I rank him fourth is that if Smith and the passing game are a viable option and can keep the 8th man out of the box Gore will exceed both numbers.

Michael Crabtree – There was a reason this guy was able to holdout of his rookie season… He’s really good.  If he can mature as a player along side Alex Smith this season and years to come could get pretty exciting.  I have Crabtree ranked at around 15th at his position.

Alex Smith – He has two crutches to get him through this season successfully a hell of a defense and a hell of a running game.  The stage is set for his career to take off and I think this guy has what it takes.

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When you start discussing the teams that have zero chance at making the playoffs the Rams sure don’t take long to come up.  Having spent their first overall pick on their new QB of the future the Rams are pretty well locked into a rebuilding mode… and deservedly so.  They were abyssal last season finishing 1-15 and they were outscored by a total of 261 points on the season.  There was only one bright spot in St. Louis last year and that was Steven Jackson.  This is among the best backs in football and he gets almost no recognition because the team he plays on is terrible.  Fantasy owners love the consistency this guy provides in terms of yardage and now that there has been some decent talent maturing around him he may even be able to get a respectable amount of touchdowns. Sam Bradford is the future of this team and with young receiving talent like Laurent Robinson and Donnie Avery there could be some exciting football to come.

Top Fantasy Players

Steven Jackson – Despite all the bangs and bruises this guy dealt with last season he had 1700 all purpose yards in 15 games on the worst team in football.  First round RB gem right here.

Donnie Avery and Laurent Robinson – Really deep sleeper, I don’t see any reason to take a low upside risk like this on draft day when they are likely to be on waivers if you change your mind later. Draft Victor Cruz instead.

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Kurt Warner will be missed, he brought this team out of the gutter and into the Super Bowl; He will always have a special place in the heart of Cardinals fans.  Now it is time for Matt Leinart to extend the winning tradition past the time of the future hall of famer.  There is no shortage of offensive weapons at the new guy’s disposal so it is up to him to live up to the expectations now.  Despite the uncertainty at quarterback Larry Fitzgerald is still an elite fantasy wide receiver on draft day only behind Johnson, Moss and Austin in my most recent WR rankings.  Beanie Wells got a fair bit of work in week one of the preseason and looked good, not great.  I still think the offense will find a rhythm and Beanie will do just fine.  Personally, I am not a big Matt Leinart fan.  I wish him well and hope he succeeds, but I there is a reason he lost the job to Warner.  Stay away on draft day unless you want to be disappointed.

Larry Fitzgerald – What can you say about this guy that hasn’t already been said? Nothing.  I do like Austin a bit more, mostly because of the stability of the guy throwing the ball.  However, he should produce just fine.

Beanie Wells – I think he is a down right steal if he falls to the 3rd round.  Wells will separate himself from Hightower as the lead back before long and I think he will end up a top 10 fantasy RB by the end of the season.

Early Doucet – Someone will need to fill in for Boldin if Leinart is able to run a pass-first offense.  Doucet will be that guy, but since it all hinges on Leinart you can get this guy in the last few rounds of your draft.

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With the retirement of Kurt Warner there is no clear number one team in this division.  Both the 49ers and the Cardinals have young untested QB’s and the battle for the division could come down to which of these two gets the best performance from their Quarterback position.  The race could get interesting as Matt Leinart has better weapons at his disposal, however I like that Alex Smith will be able to lean on his superior running game and defense when things get rough. The 49ers are my favorite to win the division.  The Seahawks will not be able to contend for a playoff spot until they find and groom Hasselbeck’s replacement (Charlie Whitehurst sure looked good in week 1 of the preseason).  The Rams will remain a basement dweller this year, but if Bradford can live up to the expectations that won’t remain the case for very long.

Arizona Cardinals

St. Louis Rams

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

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Adam Sharpe-US Presswire

It seems such a short time ago that Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks led a dominating defense to a super bowl championship and gave a mediocre QB like Brad Johnson a ring.  Those days are long gone however and when speaking in terms of fantasy football there is only one relevant name to concern yourself with.  Kellen Winslow Jr.  They are currently grooming their QB of the future in Josh Freeman and he will be very pleased to have a polished receiving TE like Winslow for his check downs.  Carnell Williams would be a viable threat if there was a better offensive line in front of him, but none the less him and Arrelious Benn remain deep sleeper options for the last few rounds.

Fantasy Relevant Players

Kellen Winslow Jr. – This tenth ranked TE should be the first Buccaneer drafted this year as he is only one of two players that I feel should be drafted at all.

Carnell Williams – Cadillac  has been disappointing fantasy owners that picked him as a sleeper in the past few years, but not me because I never quite bought into the hype.  I think people are finally expecting a reasonable amount from him (not much).  To be fair, I do not blame Williams for this, rather the lack of other offensive weapons or an offensive line make it tough for a guy like this to produce.

Arrelious Benn – Last round, already have your kicker for some reason? Sure This guy has just as good of a shot as anyone to have a breakout year that deep in the draft. I don’t see it happening but hey, you never know.

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The super bowl champion Saints are my favorite to win it all again this season.  There is a myth that it is really difficult to win back to back super bowls, which is just a lie.  I know, it sounds crazy… but hear me out.  Since the start of the super bowl era of the NFL SEVEN different teams have won back to back super bowl championships and the Steelers did it twice.  The factors that go into winning a super bowl do not get more difficult the next year.  This team has retained almost all of their free agents going into the uncapped year. With more experience and the talent already assembled and proven realistically they only need to stay healthy in order to get deep into the playoffs.  To me Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush is a great RB duo and I think Thomas will be a steal for fantasy owners as a solid RB2. Meachem is also a viable option in the later rounds as a backup WR.

Fantasy Relevant Players

Drew Brees – Even though I have him ranked as my number two QB he is a first round talent and could easily be the top fantasy QB at the end of the year.  The only reason he is not my number one is that Rodgers runs the ball with consistency and typically gets in the end zone by running more than any other QB.

Pierre Thomas – I can’t figure out why there is so much hate for Thomas.  Everyone liked him last year but it turned out that Bell was taking too many red zone carries from him and he did not return the value people expected to get when they drafted him.  Bell is gone! Reggie Bush of all people will not be used for short yardage and all reports from training camp so far say that he looks really good.

Marques Colston – I rank him  as my number 10 WR so he is a WR1 for sure.  You really shouldn’t let him fall farther than tenth at his position.  The only evidence you need is that he is the best receiver that Drew Brees has at his disposal.

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I have been, for a little while now, stunned at all the Matt Moore haters out there.  I do not know what a young QB has to do in order to receive support from his team, but the Panthers slapped him in the face when they drafted Jimmy Clausen.  Moore, like every young prospect, has weaknesses in his game but given the lack of depth at WR I think the Clausen pick would have been much better spent getting someone to play opposite Steve Smith and draw some double teams away from him.  Moore has a skill set that can and should be utilized in this offense.  The Panthers have a two headed and devastating running game that will be the identity of this offense.  What is truly needed out of the passing game is the threat of the deep ball to keep the eighth man out of the box in running scenarios and someone able to run the play action effectively when the eighth man does step up. If this team can develop one of their young talents into a polished receiving threat (tall order with Dwayne Jarrett and Brandon LaFell to chose from) and get solid play from their defense, then I think Matt Moore will get this team a wildcard spot.

Fantasy Relevant Players

DeAngelo Williams – No one in the NFL runs through traffic better than this guy right here, he has incredible vision and field presence to navigate through even the smallest cracks in the defense.  Two years ago Williams was a beast and I think he will get back to the 1,500 yard range but Stewart will get too much work for us to expect 18 touchdowns.  Despite last year I think Williams has a better chance than most top backs to stay healthy for all 16 games due the the presence of this next guy.

Jonathan Stewart – The best backup in football at any position by far.  It always feels a little funny to draft a backup inside the top 20 at their position but have no fear with Stewart.  The Panthers always give him ample opportunity to perform, as well as letting him carry the load while he has the hot hand.

Steve Smith – He finally has upside again now that Jake Delhomme has gone to Cleveland… And he remains one of the leagues best deep threats.  I think Matt Moore compliments Smith’s talents very well.  The one problem as stated above is that there is no one to draw the double team away in obvious passing situations.  Smith is ranked 14th in my current rankings.

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The Falcons are one of three teams in their division that have the tools at their disposal to make the playoffs.  They are coming off their second consecutive winning season (franchise first) and after a slight decline in Matt Ryan’s production last year there is considerable pressure on the third year quarterback.  Last season this team was plagued with injuries to their top performers and this ultimately kept them from seriously competing for a playoff spot.  Michael Turner disappointed many owners by not being able to stay healthy going into the fantasy playoffs and due to this I have seen him fall to late in the first round. Do not be fooled he is the 6th ranked player overall and he has plenty of value that deep as it is.  Missing the playoffs last season was a by-product of injuries and growing pains, I fully expect to see growth from this young emerging team.

Fantasy Relevant Players

Michael Turner – As I said he is my number 6 ranked player, I expect at least 1200 yards from Turner this year and if he can stay healthy for all 16 games he could come close the the 1600 in his breakout year in 2008. As a side note, If you are interesting in drafting a handcuff for Turner you want Jason Snelling, not Jerious Norwood.

Roddy White – His statistical destiny is in the hands of Matt Ryan.  I like his odds.  With that said I hope to have drafted one of the receivers ranked in that elite group of five that are above him.  If you are not able to get one of them while he has some risk attached White is the best option.

Matt Ryan – In plenty of the mock drafts I have seen and participated in Ryan has fallen down to around the 10th drafted at his position.  He is not someone I would target on draft day, but if he slips and you miss out on Flacco then Ryan had plenty of upside.

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There are three teams in this division capable of making the post season this year, so at the very least we will see some entertaining football from these teams.  The Saints were able to do a phenomenal job retaining their free agent talent and remain heavy favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl for the second straight year.  I seem to be the only one left on the planet that is a Matt Moore fan, so I couldn’t even pretend to be surprised to see a QB change in Carolina as well as a heavy dose of the run game.  The Falcons are the third team with a serious chance at making the playoffs from this division after experiencing a slight decline in production following their breakout 2008 campaign which brought players like Matt Ryan, Michael Turner and Roddy White into the fantasy football spotlight.  Despite their injuries and growing pains they were still able to record their first consecutive winning seasons in franchise history.

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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