Category Archives: Draft Help

Dwayne Bowe and Brandon Lloyd: Not Top 10 Fantasy WR’s in 2011?

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Change is ever present in fantasy football rankings from year to year, and with that in mind, there are three prominent names from last year’s top WR’s whom I have left off the 2011 top 10 fantasy football WR rankings article I recently posted over at FantasyFootballStarters.com. You can check out the names I did include on the above link, and one of the three, Philadelphia Eagles WR DeSean Jackson, I covered recently in the fantasy football blogs section at FFS as well. Here, I’m going to talk a little about the other two: the Denver Broncos Brandon Lloyd, and Kansas City’s Dwayne Bowe.

No one saw the tremendous seasons either Lloyd or Bowe was going to have before the 2010 season started. Bowe was drafted as a WR2 in many leagues and was generally ranked between WR15-20 in our own fantasy football draft analyzer. In many leagues, Bowe was being dropped by week 4 as he had performed miserably and dropped a couple of easy TD passes. His stats were pathetic and impatient fantasy owners dumped him just before he rebounded with a vengeance to finish with a NFL high 15 TD receptions.

Meanwhile, Lloyd wasn’t being drafted in fantasy leagues at all and only after his surprising rise to being the Broncos #1 WR right before the season started was he given any attention and became a hot waiver wire pickup. Lloyd went on to become the primary weapon in Denver’s potent passing attack (under former coach Josh McDaniels) and finished the season with a NFL high 1,448 receiving yards. 

So why aren’t these two 2010 stud fantasy performers cracking my top 10 fantasy WR’s in 2011?

Dwayne Bowe was a stud finishing 2010, but can he do it again in 2011?

In the case of Bowe, it’s a combination of things. First, the Chiefs lost former offensive coordinator Charlie Weis. He was known for being able to put together a potent passing attack and bring out the best in a QB, and he certainly did that with mediocre Matt Cassel. Second, the Chiefs invested a first round draft pick on a WR, Jonathan Baldwin, to give them something they didn’t have last year: a complimentary WR to Bowe. The Chiefs other WR’s were either injured or pitiful last year. A healthy Dexter McCluster and Jerheme Urban to provide depth behind Bowe and Baldwin would be welcome as McCluster battled injuries much of the season and Urban missed all of last season. Third is a projected tougher schedule. While I don’t put a lot of stock in preseason strength of schedule lists (as defenses can go from good to bad, or bad to good in a single season depending on personnel and defensive coordinator changes) it is something many pundits are using as their excuse for exercising caution themselves concerning Bowe. When you add these things together, it seems unlikely Bowe is going to duplicate his 15 TD’s.

As for Lloyd, it’s a combination of things as well keeping him from cracking my list. First and foremost is the change in coaching staff. Gone is McDaniels high flying aerial circus; in steps John Fox’s power rushing attack philosophy. There’s simply going to be much greater balance between rushing and passing than there was last season and that means fewer passes attempted. The second problem is the QB situation. There’s a good chance the Broncos will find a trade partner for Kyle Orton so they can go forward with Tim Tebow at QB. Fox may prefer having Orton there as he may be reticent about going Turning things over to Tebow, but it seems likely that if a good enough offer comes in for Orton, Denver will accept it and Tebow would take over. Tebow still needs work and with an offense geared towards running the ball, it just seems unlikely Lloyd will approach his unexpected stats from 2010 in 2011.

When you add all the variables up, it becomes increasingly difficult to forecast either Bowe or Lloyd to finish in the top 10 fantasy WR’s in 2011.

Fantasy Football Experts Mock Draft

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Tis the season for fantasy football mock drafts to really begin and even though the lockout interferes with knowing exactly which teams all the free agents will eventually end up playing for (thusly affecting their place on the 2011 fantasy football rankings), the exercise of mock drafting is still interesting. It allows fantasy owners to see which round each player is being selected in and how many players at each position go in each round.

In a fantasy football experts mock draft going on right now, myself and 11 other representatives from various top fantasy sites are steadily progressing. The league assumes a re-draft, 12 teams, 16 rounds, starting 1 QB, 2 RB’s, 2 WR’s, 1 TE, 1 Flex (RB/WR/TE), 1 K, and 1 D/ST. Standard scoring with PPR. The 12 experts and their sites include (in mock draft selection order):

Mike Clay, ProFootballFocus.com

Ryan Lester, LestersLegends.com

Jim Piatt, FanaticFantasyFootball.com

Smitty, FantasyFootballXtreme.com

Jeff Pasquino, FootballGuys.com

John Paulsen, FantasyShrink.com

Bob Butterfield, AllPurposeRoto.com

Russ Bliss, FantasyFootballStarters.com

Matt Schauf, DraftSharks.com

Rick Perkins, FantasyFootballTrader.com

Jim Day, GoAheadScore.com

RC Rizza, JunkyardJake.com

You can follow this group’s Fantasy Football Experts Mock Draft. You can also see each of my own opinions on the picks each round in my fantasy football blog. In the first round, the top 7 picks went exactly as expected. In round 2, the first QB went off the board. By the end of round 5, the top 7 QB’s and top 5 TE’s were all gone.

Rashard Mendenhall could join the elite fantasy RB's in 2011

My biggest dilemma came at picking 8th overall in round 1. I figured it was unlikely that any of the top 6 PPR RB’s were going to fall to me, and probably the top WR would be gone too. Sure enough, it played out exactly as I expected. That left me with either one of my favorite RB fantasy football sleepers to take the next step up and join the elite RB’s or a WR, or do something I never do (take a QB). In the end I opted for the RB, Rashard Mendenhall. He doesn’t rank as high in the PPR format as he does in non-ppr, but the possibility of him becoming more PPR friendly is definitely there and the Steelers like to have a featured RB. Mendenhall is still young and is hitting the prime of his career. I felt he was worth the gamble over the other potential options.

A WR at 5 for AZ?

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With six more days until the 2011 NFL draft, I have to admit I am starting to get that pre-draft adrenaline flowing again; it’s a little different feeling though, more of a bitter-jubilance. None the less I was browsing through these weeks’ headlines and I had read an opinion that the release of the 2011 regular season could indicate the league is confident the season will go on? Let’s hope that’s an accurate assessment. I also read a piece that suggests Peter King projects the Arizona Cardinals could go by way of wide-receiver selecting A.J Green with the fifth pick. Now that is an intriguing notion, a few months back when I wrote my thoughts on why I thought the fifth pick should not be used on a Quarter-back and should be used on defense with an emphasis on Von Miller a wide receiver was never really a thought until now! A.J Green a potential prospect for the Cardinals? Now my wheels are turning, this may not be such a crazy inclination after all? When I look at it; I believe Skelton can handle the signal calling duties but I won’t argue a veteran Free-Agent and if he beats him out in camp then so be it what it really comes down to is the guy’s upfront and Chris Wells entering his third year would have to be a key factor in any success this offense will have, by adding another dimension of an outside threat to compliment Fitzgerald in an attempt to keep the defense honest could be the antidote that gets the ground game going and ‘beanie’ playing up to his expectation, control the clock, keep your defense off the field. A surprises pick indeed that sounds great in theory and looks good on paper.

2011 NFL Draft Quarterback Prospects

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The 2011 NFL Draft is quickly approaching and there is a lot of speculation that as many as 5 or 6 quarterbacks could be selected in the first round. If history is any judge, that seems like an overly optimistic projection and while many teams are needing a signal caller, when drafting in the first round, you can’t afford to miss on the pick. It’s especially head scratching to me that we hear about this many quarterbacks being selected this high when there are really no sure things at the position in this draft class. Each of the quarterback prospects come with question marks, either on the field issues or off the field issues. I’ve documented in greater detail my feeling about these 2011 NFL Quarterback draft prospects in a recent article at FantasyFootballStarters.com and encourage you to check it out for more on the 7 quarterbacks making the biggest buzz in draft circles.

Will Cam Newton be the first player selected=Auburn’s Cam Newton is believed by many draft experts to be the first quarterback taken despite him ranking lower on their best prospects list than Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert. The tremendous athleticism of Newton is impossible to deny, but he isn’t as accurate as you would like, only has one year of stats to really take notice of, and comes with a slew of off-field issues that cannot be so easily dismissed.

Gabbert meanwhile comes across as a smart, strong armed QB who lacks the “it” factor of being an elite NFL caliber QB. He also failed to build on the promise of strong 2009 season in 2010. His accuracy is good and he looks the part of a NFL QB, but he doesn’t excite.

One of my favorite prospects, Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick, has been invited to the NFL Draft party in New York, and that bodes well for him to be a likely 1st round pick as the NFL tries to only invite players they know will be first round selections. Kaepernick is an intriguing prospect with a high degree of smarts and a desire to improve. His abilities as a strong armed passer and excellent runner (3 consecutive seasons with over 1,000 rushing yards) are traits becoming more desirable at the QB position in the NFL. While he’ll need work learning to read defenses and playing under center, he is very coachable and gives maximum effort both in the classroom and on the field. That will endear him to a patient coaching staff.

Washington’s Jake Locker is a guy I don’t understand what all the buzz is about. Not very accurate and questionable decision making are not qualities I see in elite QB prospects, but his strong arm and leadership abilities make him a guy many are projecting to be drafted in the top 2/3 of round 1. But I just don’t see it myself.

Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett is the best pure passer in this draft capable of making any throw with his elite arm strength. But he’s a statue in the pocket and not mobile. And as much is made of Newton’s concerns off the field, Mallett comes with plenty of his own. Comparisons to Jeff George in terms of a multi-million dollar arm on a 10 cent head surround him.

Two others getting a lot of love as being potential late first round picks, Florida State’s Christian Ponder and TCU’s Andy Dalton are smart QB’s who lack great arm strength. Both are considered to be better fits in west coast styles of offenses as they lose accuracy when throwing the intermediate and deeper routes. While one or both could surprise, both have the feel of being career backups in the NFL and not great starters. I’d be really surprised if either was taken in the first round. It just doesn’t make sense for physically limited quarterbacks to go in round 1.

2010 QB Hits n Misses

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With the ongoing labor dispute bogging us down I now hear that this second round of mediation is just a song and dance to satisfy the court and the public with neither side taking it seriously. The Players believe Judge Nelson will side in their favor while the owners are more confident in winning the appeal. With those words I am almost inclined to stick a fork in the 2011 NFL Season but before I do I would like to take a moment and step back to August 22, 2010 when I was pre-finalizing my cheat sheets. Is that an oxy-moron? Well I guess when it comes to fantasy football, your rankings are never really final. Last minutes tweaks are always expected.
I understand the added value a mobile quarterback brings to the table however these projections do not reflect the QB rushing stats as the running QB’s are few and far in between. With nine Quarter-backs projected to pass for at least 4,000 yards all but four met, well I should say ‘all but two’ met expectations; Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers both being right on the cusp with 3,900 and 3,922 yards.

Joe Flacco #15 QB was my target QB with expectations of outplaying his draft position, I slated him for 4,000 and selecting him at the back of round five turned out good value.
It was the first three ahead of him; MJD, Turner and Shonn Greene that killed my team.

Josh Freeman my #27 QB I also took note of, how I came about his Attempts/Completions/Yards? I think it had something to do with him being a rookie without any statistical history, employing the average value theory here based on Tampa’s Team Pass Attempts/Completion /Yards over multiple seasons, added it all together then divided by whatever and got lucky? In summary; a mish-mash of hits n misses and a touch-down to interception ratio formula that needs some tuning?

Missed; Over estimating Brett Farve based on his historical works, finishing 25th in scoring I had him slotted 7th. We knew his time was coming, just not when.
Underestimating Michael Vick, OK, completely disregarding Michael Vick, my bad, with all the Kolb hype and surrounding controversy what were we to expect?
So if we were to have a 2011 NFL season. I believe it will be safe to say the top quarter-backs will perform at their usual high levels aside from that the only other projection I am comfortable making for the 2011 fantasy football season would be Matt Cassel falters badly and Sam Bradford excels to greater heights.
So here were my projections from Aug 22, 2010 vs. Actual regular season stats.
Once again these are only passing stats used to compile my pre-draft cheat sheets, no rushing stats are compiled. Rankings are sorted per fantasy football points calculated from the listed data at;
1 pt per 20 yards, 6 pt TD, -1 Int.

Act My   Att Comp Yrds TD Int   Att Comp Yrds TD Int
1 3 Drew Brees 577 397 4464 32 15   658 448 4620 33 22
2 4 Tom Brady 599 388 4631 28 14   492 324 3900 36 4
3 8 Philip Rivers 518 339 4387 27 12   541 357 4710 30 13
4 1 Peyton Manning 589 393 4626 34 18   679 450 4710 30 13
5 2 Aaron Rodgers 547 345 4443 32 11   475 312 3922 28 11
6 11 Eli Manning 548 346 4224 27 16   539 339 4002 31 25
7 5 Matt Schaub 562 364 4570 29 13   574 365 4370 24 12
8 13 Matt Ryan 492 304 3646 25 17   571 357 3705 28 9
9 10 Carson Palmer 455 289 3530 21 11   586 362 3970 26 20
10 15 Joe Flacco 526 332 4098 23 14   489 306 3622 25 10
11 27 Josh Freeman 478 291 3356 17 18   474 291 3451 25 6
12 19 Matt Cassel 502 307 3596 20 14   450 262 3116 27 7
13 16 Kyle Orton 413 251 2988 17 12   498 293 3653 20 9
14 9 Jay Cutler 578 361 4153 25 21   432 261 3274 23 16
15 42 Michael Vick 31 21 162 2 1   372 233 3018 21 6
16 28 Sam Bradford 411 248 2797 16 16   590 354 3512 18 15
17 20 David Garrard 442 268 2984 17 14   366 236 2734 23 15
18 30 Ben Roethlisberger 393 243 2830 21 10   389 240 3200 17 5
19 25 Mark Sanchez 477 282 3387 19 15   507 278 3291 17 13
20 14 Donovan McNabb 502 307 3475 20 13   472 275 3377 14 15
21 18 Chad Henne 511 319 3517 21 15   490 301 3301 15 19
22 17 Matt Hasselbeck 438 262 2891 18 16   444 266 3001 12 17
23 26 Alex Smith 520 324 3844 20 14   342 204 2370 14 10
24 22 Jason Campbell 408 244 2901 17 13   329 194 2387 13 8
25 7 Brett Favre 513 332 3987 28 13   358 217 2509 11 19

2011 Fantasy Football Top 10 QB Rankings

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Not a surprise to me that recently, when creating a top 10 fantasy football quarterback 2011 rankings list that there were some names I was surprised to not make the list. I clearly see a top 7 and think that almost every list will include those players, but which QB’s should grace the 8th, 9th, and 10th spot?

Drew Brees threw for over 4300 yards and 33 TD's again in 2010

For the record, my top 7 are:

1) Peyton Manning: You can’t argue with his consistency

2) Aaron Rodgers: Ready to be an elite QB again

3) Drew Brees: Only interceptions in 2010 cause people to forget he’s elite

4) Tom Brady: 36 TD’s and only 4 interceptions in 2010? Why don’t I rank him higher?

5) Phillip Rivers: No Vincent Jackson for most of the season in 2010 didn’t prevent him from being a stud

6) Tony Romo: Everyone forgets he was on pace for 5,000 yards and 32 TD’s when broken collarbone ended his season

7) Michael Vick: I’m probably the guy who is giving Vick the least amount of fantasy love in the entire industry. But while he has ridiculous potential, he also has bust factors too.

So after these top 7, how do the rest of the QB’s rank? How about the 2011 fantasy football sleeper QB’s like Tampa Bay’s Josh Freeman and St. Louis’s Sam Bradford? Where do they fall in the rankings?

In the first draft of my fantasy football cheat sheets for the QB position, I actually see a clear cut next 3 after these top 7.

8) Ben Roethlisberger: Played great after returning from suspension

9) Matt Ryan: Looks ready to take the next step up in his fantasy development

10) Matt Schaub: Up and down 2010 season but still finished with over 4,300 passing yards

After these 3 to fill out my top 10, there are a clear next 5 to make up the 4th fantasy football tier rankings for the QB’s. Josh Freeman, Eli Manning, Joe Flacco, Matt Stafford and Jay Cutler. An argument could be made for any of these 5 to be in the top 10, and they clearly rate as the next best after the top 10. Each also has some concern. Freeman needs to prove he wasn’t a fluke taking advantage of a soft schedule. Eli needs to cut down on interceptions. Flacco needs to establish consistency. Stafford just needs to stay healthy for more than a handful of games. Cutler needs a dominant #1 WR to take the next step up in Mike Martz’s offensive system.

Slice it and dice it however you want; the fact is there’s a lot of time to change our minds, but this is how the thinking is going right now.

Fantasy Football Rankings: Top 10 RB’s (and a little rant)

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If not for Fantasy Football the NFL would be losing a fan base all over again It’s a challenge to find a positive in what is a fiasco that is threatening the 2011 NFL season. With all the tragic events going in the world today it is no wonder I can’t even muster up an ounce of interest in who gets their fair share of our money. Still we are not oblivious to the issues that only amount to greed in the eyes of most. I have read poll questions asking our opinion on whose at fault in this mess, some are pointing at the owners whiles others point to the players. Yet it seems no one realizes that while we are pointing fingers at them there is always three fingers pointing back at us! That’s right; We fed the pig, the pig got fat, and you know what happens when that pig gets fat? You smell smoke, an aromatic mesquite to be exact!

I can understand the harbored animosity the fans held from the ’87 strike and how some walked away without another thought, but Fantasy Football was not as prevalent in 1987 as it is today so I anticipate a high volume of return once the season gets back to play. But right now it is straight up interfering with my game. With the amount of revenue at stake we would think there would be a quick resolution to get going ‘business as usual’ then once again it won’t much matter how many billions we generate as long as we get our game so we can resume our business as usual: exploitation of the league. 

Maurice Jones-Drew must prove his knee is healthy to claim a top 10 spot in 2011

If not for Fantasy football I would care less about the ‘billion dollar babies’ Foamin’ like a dog infected with rabies’ (thanks for that one Alice and congrats on your induction into the Rock n Roll Hall this past week). I would really enjoy talking about the upcoming NFL Draft and the prospective players that may make that immediate impact for their new teams but right now I can’t place any reasonable expectations on any team scenarios because I am really not feeling it. So until this is resolved and our money is no longer a distraction there are only two items I know for sure: Arian Foster would be my first pick in the 2011 Fantasy football drafts and Maurice Jones-Drew will not crack the top ten in my 2011 Fantasy football player rankings. I like Houston’s team composition everything is still intact with the coaches, system, pass catchers Andre Johnson and Owen Daniels a solid Quarterback in Matt Schaub and the guy’s up front in the trenches to get it done. Of course some may argue Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson as the #1, but I think they are number 2 and 3. I am rolling with the younger, healthier Foster because of the uncertainties at quarterback in Minnesota and Tennessee. Peterson and Johnson (not the Personal Injury Attorneys) will still get theirs though they will be a defenses primary objective. There are some good fantasy football sleepers at RB, but here are my top 10 RB’s for 2011 right now:

1. Arian Foster- Tate will still need some healing it’s Fosters job
2. Chris Johnson- flip a coin
3. Adrian Peterson- you can’t go wrong either way.
4. Jammal Charles- because I’m not trusting MJD’s knee
5. Ray Rice- because I’m still not trusting MJD’s knee- more so if McGahee leaves
6. Rashad Mendenhall-Pittsburgh football is pound the rock and Defense
7. Frank Gore- This is still generous if not for the NFC West deficiencies
8. LeSean McCoy – may still slide ahead to #7
9. Darren McFadden-great upside staying healthy is key to keep Bush on the side.
10. Michael Turner-fading away lets see what 2011 has in store.

Bounceback Fantasy Player Candidates for 2011

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There is certainly no shortage of candidates for 2011 Bounceback Fantasy Player. In fact, there are so many candidates that in a recent roundtable discussion between me and 7 other fantasy football analysts, we each named a different player. I’m sure as the off-season proceeds you’ll see many choices in various fantasy football blogs for Bounceback Player. In my own, I chose New York Jets RB Shonn Greene. I made my choice before the Jets decided to retain LaDainian Tomlinson, but I’ll stand by it as I fully expect that after seeing how LT tired the second half of the season in 2010, they’ll decide the fresh young legs of bowling ball Shonn Greene is better suited to be the primary RB between the two and that Tomlinson is better served in a complimentary role.

Our panel of fantasy analysts was put together by Rick Perkins of FantasyFootballTrader.com, and others who took part in our first question of identifying the 2011 Bounceback Fantasy Player included Jim Day of FFWhiz, Ryan Lester from Lester’s Legends, Derek Lofland of FantasyFootballManiax, Jeff Pasquino from DynastyGuys, Jim Piatt of FanaticFantasyFootball, and Matt Schauf from RapidDraft. You can check out the complete write-ups of each analyst’s picks at FantasyFootballTrader.com.

At FantasyFootballStarters.com I published a piece in our fantasy football articles going over each of the other analysts selections for Bounceback Fantasy Player and gave my thoughts on their choices. But I wanted to take a look at a couple of names who didn’t get mentioned but make prime candidates:

Randy Moss has no where to go but up after a horrible 2010 season

*-Randy Moss. Was there a bigger fantasy disappointment in 2010 than Moss? What a horror his season turned out to be for those who invested a top 25 pick on him in their fantasy football drafts. Moss is a free agent and who knows where he’ll end up? Maybe back in Tennessee? Maybe in St. Louis? I don’t think Moss is completely washed up and he could surprise and be an excellent value pick if he slides down the rankings on 2011 fantasy football cheat sheets.

*-Donovan McNabb. He’s not returning to Washington to be a backup and while McNabb’s skills have declined some, he is still a better QB than about half the teams in the NFL currently have penciled in as their starter. Imagine if McNabb landed in Minnesota, Arizona, Tennessee, or Miami? All 4 are teams that have weapons to be prolific passing attacks and McNabb would be a huge upgrade for any of them. Like Moss, McNabb probably has a couple of years left before he seriously goes into the tank.

*-Matt Stafford. Injuries keep cutting his seasons short and he may never be able to stay healthy, but if he could, everything is in place for him to really shine. The Lions are built to be a passing offense more than a grinding rushing offense and when Stafford has played, he’s impressed. It’s almost a lock he isn’t going to be drafted as a fantasy starter even though he may be projected to have solid stats for a full season on our fantasy football draft analyzer by the time we get to July.

Like I stated at the beginning: there’s no shortage of potential candidates for Bounceback Fantasy Player in 2011. And as the off-season progresses, we’ll get a better fix on the most likely candidates.

A QB at 5 for AZ?

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Probably the biggest adjustment the NFL rookie quarterback has to make is to the speed of the game so if he will be learning on the job you would think his greatest asset; a solid offensive line, his best friend a stud running back, those two elements together should play a significant role in the development of the young signal caller but many other variables can hinder the process. Much like the CBA is hindering my progress in evaluating my player rankings and mocks for the 2011 NFL Draft.

Alex Smith had Frank Gore why did that not happen? Brady Quinn, Tim Couch. What was the difference between Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, Philip Rivers and J.P Losman or Vince Young, Matt Leinart and Jay Cutler? All these QB’s had what could be defined as ‘desired attributes’ ones that particular organizations felt were worthy of their first round selection, the guy they had to have. The next generation of Matt Ryan, Sam Bradford, Matthew Stafford (needs to stay healthy), Mark Sanchez and Josh Freeman seem to be catching on quick and are looking more like hits then busts.

Missouri's Blaine Gabbert: Should Arizona take him?

Looking at the Arizona Cardinals the needs are everywhere and hearing the ongoing grumblings about never having a franchise type Quarterback. I can look back to the days of Timm Rosenbaugh, whom subsequently left the NFL after a short stint, rumor was he felt it safer to be a bull rider in a rodeo then a quarterback for the then Phoenix Cardinals. He was probably right and to this day that premise seems to still be holding true as twenty years later you still have no ‘franchise’QB, your line is still porous and your defense gives up time consuming drives that lead to many points surrendered leaving themselves gassed. Which brings me to Kurt Warner, Yes Kurt was the greatest thing to happen to the Cardinals since ‘sliced bread’ but I’m sorry Kurt didn’t give up 41 to Atlanta and and the Chargers or allowed 38 to TB then 36 to Seattle so was this due to a secondary and cover guys not being able to cover, would better coverage allow the guys up front more time to effectively get into the backfield and hurry the passer or is it the guy’s up front not effectively rushing the passer that would take the pressure off of the cover guy’s? The longer your defense is on the field the longer the day for the team, it’s your offense that keeps your defense fresh. With the 2011 NFL scouting combine getting ready to start in Indianapolis, I know the Cardinals will be keeping a keen eye on the top QB prospects and how they perform. I am having a hard time believing this talk of Blaine Gabbert at #5 to be the guy that will fix the Cardinals woes in an instant. He will get shaken, rattled and stirred just like all of the other ones that have preceded him in a Cardinals uniform. I have no issue with John Skelton, He has all the same ‘Proto-Type’ attributes. Height, Weight, arm strength, quick read and react etc. Oh well! I guess not every top rated quarterback prospect can get drafted by a good team, being able sit back and hold a clip board behind a pro-bowl, future hall of fame QB for a few years.

2011 fantasy football picks- I think

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Its been a heck of a season for fantasy football and if anyone has had interesting picks its been me. First let me admit to the fact that my early 2011 predictions have lots of fans LOL, but at least I put them out there that early for everyone to see.

That’s the great part of being in the fantasy sports industry you have an opportunity to share your opinion with millions of fans. Plus, as recent as last week my good friend and business partner Russ Bliss and I were still enjoying the opportunity to share our fantasy football picks on Arizona news channel 3 during the Sunday morning 730am half hour with Tess Rafols.

After watching two upsets (Seattle, Jets) yesterday it made me give some serious thoughts to my early predictions  for 2011 and how some players just might be moving up the board based on a late season surge. That said, more thoughts on early 2011 fantasy football picks, who did not make my earlier list:

1) Chiefs Wide Receiver Dwayne Bowe: I thought you were going to do exactly what you did last year run a “fade route” and never return. Let me eat my words, next year your a top 5 wide receiver. Good luck today with those Ravens.

2) Browns Running Back Peyton Hillis: Still have more to prove next year and this coaching change might impact you, but man – you held strong this season.

3) Steelers Wide Receiver Mike Wallace: I blogged about you early this year and should have followed my gut on this one. Great job and your a top five pick as well.

4) Broncos Quarterback Kyle Orton: If you get traded this off season it might impact you being an early 2011 fantasy football pick, but top 10 Quarterback for sure.

5) Broncos Wide Receiver Brandon Lloyd: You broke my heart in San Francisco, then you go and do something great, then something stupid during your Pro Bowl press conference, just validates for me your a one hit wonder. Lightening does not strike twice here.

6) Bills wide receiver Steve Johnson: Your another story and a good one. Next year, I don’t have the luxury of calling you a sleeper. Stay focused this off season, you can get better.

7) Broncos Quarterback Tim Tebow: John Elway is going to end up influencing your career one way or another. Not just the things legends are made of, but he will either embrace you as the new VP of Operations for the Denver Broncos, or get rid of you. My gut says you stay and flourish.

8) LeGarrette Blount Running Back Buc’s: Your a beast and must stay in shape and not explode, which is my worry. Stay focused and out of burger kings this off season. Prove me wrong and be a top five pick next season.

9) Raiders Running Back Darren McFadden: Hue Jackson deserves allot of credit for your resurgence and think next year you have to prove it all over again to be considered a top 5 fantasy football pick.

10) CBA: Don’t ruin the off season for the fans let them enjoy the 2011 Combine and NFL Draft without worry of a stoppage. If you can pull it off, have this done by the end of April.