We’re days from the NFL lockout being lifted and weeks from any on field activity to which an evaluation of any player could be done, but it’s never too early to prepare for fantasy football. Preparation is key in fantasy and it typically delivers results.
Let’s take a look at the top skill positioned players for this upcoming season and decide who you should have atop your depth charts on draft day. I’ve requested the assistance of my fellow BSO colleagues Marcas and Kamaal in doing so.
We’ll begin our focus on the signal callers.
I lean Brees way as my top quarterback. Consistency is oh so important in fantasy and Brees is consistently good. Since donning the Saints uniform in 2006, Brees has thrown for over 4000 yards every season with 26 being his lowest touchdown total. Even better, he’s thrown 30 plus touchdowns the past three seasons. The addition of Mark Ingram only bolsters a struggling running game and should open up more opportunities through the air for Brees. And to top it off, imagine the possibilities if a healthy Reggie Bush remains a Saint.
In putting your team, trash talking rights, and money* on the shoulders of a player, you more than likely need him to be durable. Look no further than Brees. He’s missed seven games out of the last nine seasons and only one of those was as a Saint. That was the last game of their Super Bowl season by the way.
Brees even played six games with a torn MCL last season, the same injury Jay Cutler couldn’t finish a half with. He’s nothing like those injury/concussion prone quarterbacks in Philly and Green Bay. You want production and durability from your quarterback…you want Drew Brees – Clenard
Marcas on Aaron Rodgers
With so many running back platoons around the NFL, the quarterback is morphing into the cornerstone fantasy football position. And after just three seasons as a starter, Aaron Rodgers is becoming the gold standard among fantasy signal callers. He’s not on the same level of gunslinging as Drew Brees. He’s not the track star that Michael Vick is. He’s actually a well-balanced combination of the two.Since grabbing the starting gig in Green Bay from He Who Shall Not Be Named, Rodgers has averaged over 4,100 passing yards per season and has thrown no less than 28 touchdown passes every season. Yet A-Rod has never tossed more than 13 interceptions in a season. (Brees’ 33 TD passes are nice…but it’s tempered when you put them next to his 22 INTs.) With a receiving corps featuring Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, James Jones, Jordy Nelson and Jermichael Finley, it’s just as deep as anything Brees is working with in New Orleans.
And don’t underestimate Rodgers’ ability to get out of the pocket and cause problems with his legs. He was Green Bay’s second leading rusher last season (356 yards) and tied for the team lead in rushing touchdowns (4). Yes, the concussion last year does raise valid concerns about his future. But it still only caused him to miss one game and he played much smarter when he returned to the field. He’s just as talented as any quarterback in the league and at just 27 years old, there is still plenty of room before he hits his ceiling. – Marcas
Kamaal on Michael Vick
The quarterback is the most important position in your fantasy football lineup. Michael Vick provides the best balance run and pass for his position. Vick started 12 games last season, threw for 21 touchdowns and ran for 9 touchdowns. His single best game in week 10 vs. the Redskins; Vick was 20-28 for 333 yards, 4 TDs, along with 80 yards on 8 carries with 2 TDs on the ground. Some teams can’t get 2 rushing TDs from their starting running backs in a game.
Vick put up these stellar numbers sharing playing time with Kevin Kolb, when the lockout ends Kolb will definitely be traded and the Philadelphia Eagles will officially be Michael’s team. The Eagles have explosive weapons at his disposal as well. Desean Jackson is the most dynamic playmaker in the open field, Jeremy Maclin proved to be a reality receiver as well. LeSean McCoy is a great receiver out of the backfield and if the Eagles are able to acquire Plaxico Burress, Vick will have the most complete core of weapons he has had to use.
Some try to question Vick’s durability but his last 3 seasons in Atlanta he played started 15, 15, and 16 games. The final year in Atlanta; Vick had 1000 yards rushing, some of us can’t get 1000 out of running backs we draft in the first two rounds. Vick’s ability to break a big play and score from any part of the field with his arm or feet makes him the best QB available. With him finally given the keys to the franchise; I expect Vick to seize the moment and put up the needed stats to win you team a fantasy football title. – Kamaal
*Disclaimer: BSO does not endorse gambling but what fun is playing fantasy for free.