by John Gustafson, john@fantasylion.com
In case you missed my TE rankings, check it out. I explain my definition of a sleeper. As with the TEs, these WRs rankings will change, but this is just a starting point. The sleepers are denoted with a (S). The first 36 WRs should be considered starters in PPR leagues. The last 36 are backups, handcuffs, and bye week fill-ins. Feel free to comment and let me know what you think of if you have any questions as to why I have a guy ranked where I do.
Follow Fantasy Lion on Twitter
Become a fan of Fantasy Lion on Facebook
One of my followers on Twitter wanted to get in on the mock draft madness, so I said by all means, be my guest. This quick top 4 comes from Lion special guest blogger, Robert Persaud. Robert can be followed on Twitter at twitter.com/gamengineer. Look for more contributions from Robert later this offseason in a new website I’ll be launching with Pyromaniac.com. More details about the new site coming soon!
NFL Draft Top 4 by Robert Persaud
The NFL Draft 2010 is upon us! Officials are hoping the new 3-day format will add more fun and excitement - and blog posts such as John Gustafson’s “A Mockery of the 2010 NFL Draft” (http://www.pyromaniac.com/daily_pills/a-mockery-of-the-2010-nfl-draft) is a testament to the fact that is has! In the spirit of fun, however, I’m going to take the unabashed approach of making a mockery of the mockery itself. So here’s my analysis of the top 4 picks in the draft, since it’s considered nearly impossible to trade out of.
I wanted to write a special blog thanking Walter of WalterFootball.com. His site is truly elite when it comes to NFL mock drafts. WalterFootball.com currently has almost 500 mock drafts from around the web, including from yours truly. If you haven’t got a chance to check out his site, please do. It will feed any NFL draft hunger you might have. So go ahead, open your presents and see who your favorite NFL team is in the market for over at WalterFootball.com and happy NFL Draft Day everyone!
Follow WalterFootball.com on Twitter.
by John Gustafson, john@fantasylion.com
Before we get started, I want to note that when I refer to a player as a sleeper, it has 2 definitions. The first is the traditional term for a sleeper which is a player that hasn’t reached their full potential but is a player I feel is poised for a breakout or a better than expected season. This is going to be a player that most people haven’t heard about. The second term for a sleeper is a player that most other fantasy players know about, but will sleep on. For instance, I have Joe Flacco at #9 pre-NFL Draft at QB. Everyone knows who Joe Flacco is, but may not have him ranked that high. I try to adjust for the type of season I feel a player will have. I don’t rank them lower just because the consensus says I should. Sorry, homey don’t play that. You don’t win fantasy championships by rolling with the same die as the consensus. You have to think out side of the box and take some chances. It doesn’t always pay off, but more often times than not, it does. I play to win the game, I don’t play not to lose. With that said, my designated sleepers will be denoted with an (S) next to their name. Also these rankings are for points per reception (PPR) leagues. I don’t waste my time in non-PPR leagues, they’re archaic and bush. The top 12 should be considered fantasy starters and the bottom 12 are backups. This list is just to establish a starting point for ranking the players for 2010. I will adjust and add comments as the offseason progresses.
Follow Fantasy Lion on Twitter
Become a fan of Fantasy Lion on Facebook
What it do everyone? Yesterday I sent an email saying that I had a special announcement and here it is! I’m pleased to announce that this year I’ll be participating in the National Championships of Fantasy Football (NCOFF). The guys over at the NCOFF are even giving me my own league within the competition and offering the spots in my league at a discounted price. The grand prize for the NCOFF is $10 G’s so this is where the big boys and girls play. Normally the entry fee is $100, but because your part of The Pride and rolling with The Lion, you’re getting in for $85. Go to www.theNCOFF.com for more details. There’s only 11 spots available, so get in ASAP! The link to the Lion League is http://www.thencoff.com/fantasy-lion-league.html
Hit me back if you have any questions!
by John Gustafson, john@fantasylion.com
Admittedly, projecting the NFL draft is not my strong point. I don’t even like NFL mock drafts, because they rarely go the way the “experts” think they do and even when they do, it’s no guarantee that the draft picks will pan out to be good pros. But my buddy Tony, over at the NCOFF challenged some of us football bloggers to compete in his NFL mock draft competition. So let that be my preface as you read this mockery, I’m simply having fun and tried to select the best overall player available for each team based on their need. With that in mind, ladies and gentleman, welcome to the 2010 NFL Draft, the St Louis Rams are on the clock…
[video]
by John Gustafson
In 12 team leagues, these guys would be considered your starting RBs. I’ll be releasing my full rankings of RBs as we get closer to the draft, then update them once the rookies have their destinations. I’ll also expand on my analysis, but here’s some tidbits to hold you over. In the style of Twitter, I tried to keep my comments under 140 characters.
Recently my buddy David called my rankings “ballsy”. This is my response to that. Yes they are ballsy, but when you look at some of the sites that play it safe, only about half of their rankings pan out while some of these guys who were ranked low seemingly come out of nowhere to have huge years. I’m trying to adjust for who I think is poised to overachieve. I don’t rank to please the masses. I do my rankings based on if I were drafting today who I would be taking and who I like in comparison to the other players available. Like my boy Hermy says, “you play to win the game!” Boom or bust baby.
Follow FantasyLion on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook!
Think you can beat me in a league, here’s your chance!
by Bryan Fontaine of RookieBlitz.com, follow Bryan on Twitter
Second–year wide receiver Mike Wallace is primed for a breakout season with the trade of Santonio Holmes to the New York Jets. Wallace is the prime candidate to replace the production of Santonio Holmes in the Pittsburgh passing attack. Holmes posted career highs in 2009 with 79 catches for 1,248 yards and five touchdowns.
Mike Wallace is coming off an impressive rookie campaign where he caught 39 passes for 756 yards (19.38 avg) and six touchdowns. Wallace settled in as the third receiver and proved that he could get open over the top of opposing defenses. He combined for 7 catches for 226 yards (32.29 avg) and 3 touchdowns over the final three games of the season.
[video]
[video]
by Brandon LaClair of Rookie Blitz.com, follow RookieBlitz on Twitter
We will take a look at Georgia Tech wide receiver Demaryius Thomas as he enters the 2010 NFL draft. We’ll be examining his strengths/weaknesses, college career and our expectations for his upcoming NFL career.
Strengths
Lion’s Note: I love this because it has my Niners getting the 2 guys I want to see them get Joe Haden and CJ Spiller.
by Bryan Fontaine of RookieBlitz.com, follow Bryan and RB.com on Twitter
While we are still sorting the aftermath of the Donovan McNabb trade, it is time for the second edition of our 2010 NFL Mock Draft.
As the draft misinformation season enters the home stretch, it would be best to follow the advice of Benjamin Franklin:
“Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see.”
We would have mocked Jimmy Clausen to the Redskins prior to the McNabb trade; now we should see a run on offensive tackles in the early first round.
Disclaimer: This is how we think the draft will unfold based on team needs and preferences. It will not reflect our own player rankings.
1. St. Louis Rams: Sam Bradford, QB – Oklahoma
St. Louis does not have a potential franchise quarterback on their roster and they just released starter Marc Bulger. Although Ndamukong Suh is the best prospect available, the Rams must follow the golden draft rule: If you don’t have a franchise quarterback, you must do anything possible to acquire one. Bradford will be an excellent pro and instantly becomes the face of the Rams franchise.
by John Gustafson, john@fantasylion.com
About 4 months ago, I came out with my intital QB rankings for 2010. Now that some situations have become a little clearer, let’s take a pre-draft look at where everyone’s at. I’ve added the round where I would draft each player in ( ) in a 12 team league. Also included are the comments for each player I posted back in December. Now I know some of these guys will and deserve to be drafted higher, but I tend to wait on QBs which will be reflected on the suggested rounds.
THE STUDS
1. Aaron Rodgers, GB (end of round 2)- I still have a huge man crush on A-Rod. I’d love to see the Packers add Ryan Mathews with the 23rd overall pick should he fall to them to bring a little extra something to their running game and take some heat off of Rodgers.
12/22 comments: NFL’s “A-Rod” is bad ass. I’ve had him the last 2 years and want him on my team’s for the next 10.
2. Peyton Manning, IND (early 3rd round)- His Super Bowl performance was heart-breaking, but Manning is as consistent as they come.
12/22 comments: Slow and steady wins the race. Add in a killer instinct and a tremendous amount of weapons and you have a very deadly combo.
by Bryan Fontaine of RookieBlitz.com, follow Bryan on Twitter
As college pro days wind down, it is finally time to release our initial 2010 Dynasty Rookie Rankings.
Our rankings represent the potential fantasy football impact each player can make in your dynasty league and not necessarily where they will be drafted on April 22-24.
We will continually update these rankings until the season begins. There will be more clarity once the NFL Draft is complete and we know where each player will start their career.
We have made some minor changes from our initial positional rankings that you can read below.