Top 60 Fantasy Rankings (not UberRank)

Every year we get a lot of requests for an Overall Top 100 or Top 50 ranking list.  We don’t do this for the UberRank because the overall rankings are far too subjective.  It depends heavily on your league scoring system as well as your individual team needs.  But that doesn’t mean we don’t have our own opinion!   Now keep in mind, all rankings (with the exception of the UberRank) are subject to bias, mine are no exception.  As individuals Pretzel and myself are susceptible to our own prejudices but the UberRank is not!!  Below are my own personal top 60 overall rankings. Do not use this to draft you team, IT IS JUST MY OPINION!  Buy the UberRank !

Doyadoya’s Top 60

Does Preseason Equal Injury Season?

With the rash of injuries already in just the first week of preseason I start to wonder if the league should in fact shorten the preseason to protect the players in meaningless games for most of them.  Here are a few of the injuries that may have an impact on your fantasy football team.

Ben Tate, RB, Houston Texans – Tate will have surgery on his ankle ending his rookie campaign.  On a team that has a completely wide open backfield, Tate was expected to take some carries and possibly start.  Those of you with early drafts may have taken him on a flyer looking for that huge up side if he ended up starting in the same offense that brought us the endless supply of 1000 yard rushers and fantasy football stud running backs out of Denver.  You are now left looking for a player to fill a roster spot.  I would look to someone like Brian Westbrook.  He is on the verge of signing with a team (possibly the Rams) and is one injury away from being a starter(and if it is the Rams, he will have to carry that team).

Fred Jackson/Marshawn Lynch, RBs, Buffalo Bills – Jackson will be out 4-6 weeks with a broken bone in his hand and Lynch is gone for 3-4 weeks after spraining his ankle.  Holding out into the first part of training camp all means nothing now for CJ Spiller who is going to take all the first team reps in practice and start all the preseason games and probably most games for your fantasy football team.  This will give Spiller all the time in the world to remind the Bills coaching staff why they ignored glaring needs at quarterback and offensive line and picked him 9th overall in the draft.

Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals – Fitzy when down this week with a sprained MCL and will be shut down for the rest of the preseason.  For all you Fitzgerald owners out there this is worrisome as it gives him less time to develop his connection with the always underwhelming Matt Leinart.  For a team that traded away Boldin in the offseason I sure hope Steve Breaston and Early Doucet are the real deal or this will spell trouble for your fantasy football team if there are any lingering effects.

 Other injuries of note – Vernon Davis strained his knee this week.  The Beast should be fine but for an already troubled Alex Smith, he loses his best receiver from last year, at least for a little while and he needs all the help he can get.  Keep a watch on this situation as a lot of you are probably looking to Davis for WR type fantasy football numbers from the TE position for your fantasy team.

Mohamed Massaquoi strained his hammy during the Browns game this week.  If he misses time Jake Delhomme will have even less time to get on the same page with his best receiver . . . like it matters.  Delhomme had years to do that in Carolina but still couldn’t manage . . and that was with Steve Smith.

Torry Holt went on the IR ending his season and probably his career.  This won’t affect your fantasy football team but if I didn’t mention a former Ram going down DeeJ would have thrown a tantrum(those of you who listen to the podcast know that DeeJ thought Holt might actually be a factor).

Sleeper Running Backs for 2010

The term sleeper gets thrown around far too freely in realm of fantasy football. Some columnists will give you a list of the 6th through 12th best fantasy running backs from the previous year and call them sleepers because they are not 1 through 5. Others will look at the rookies with the best chance to start and call them sleepers. Anyone can do that. I saw a “sleeper” list that had Shonn Greene, Ryan Matthews and Beanie Wells on it, WOW way to go out on a limb! In order to be a sleeper, by my definition, they have to be players who are not in the top 15 at their position and there must be a compelling reason that they might be productive this season when they have not been in the past.

So, that being said, here are some fantasy running backs that I actually do consider sleepers.

Kenneth Darby St. Louis Rams
Steven Jackson is one of the last remaining fantasy running backs that can still be considered a featured back. He is also a guy who can’t seem to make it through a season healthy. This could give Darby the opportunity to shine in the resurgent Rams offense (said with extreme sarcasm, even if Bradford is the real deal, it will be a couple of years before things click). Whenever a work horse running back like Steven Jackson has a reputation as an injury risk his back up is always a good late round scoop, Darby (or whomever emerges as the RB2 in St. Louis) is no exception.

Bernard Scott, Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals transitioned last season into a power running team. Benson is going to get piled on this season and like Steven Jackson CedBen is one of the few featured backs left in the NFL. If he goes down, the offense will run through Bernard Scott. He averaged 4.3 Yards Per Carry last season in limited action but has great speed and can take it the distance. In addition, the acquisition of Terrell Owens and Matt Jones might actually revitalize the Bengals passing offense giving a shifty runner like Scott even more room to move.

Chester Taylor, Chicago Bears
Chester Taylor was a very productive fantasy running back but had his job snatched away in Minnesota. This was not because he was bad, it was more because Adrian Peterson is really really good, like scary good. Matt Forte, the incumbent in Chicago, had an off year last year and although he is poised for a bounce back year, he will have a short leash. If Forte slips again early one look for Taylor to be the beneficiary.

Michael Bush, Oakland Raiders
I know what I said, “Oakland is a wasteland where once promising fantasy performers go to die”. I still believe that but, with the arrival of Jason Campbell, the Oakland offense might actually be stabilized. I know that Jason Campbell is not held in the highest esteem when it comes to fantasy football quarterbacks, but remember, he has had 8 different offensive coordinators in his remarkably short career. He also outperformed some fantasy quarterbacks that are getting some really good pub, Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan. If Jason Campbell can get some comfort, this could lead to the emergence of a couple of wide receivers with great potential like Chaz Schilens and Louis Murphy. Ultimately this could result in some running room for Michael Bush. Darren McFadden was drafted high and had some great expectations but Michael Bush has been the more productive and consistent runner.

Larry Johnson, Washington Redskins
Grandmama has had a couple of off years and he was run really hard in KC but he has had a little break and look decent down the stretch in Cincinnati last season. I am not saying that Johnson is going to return to his 2005 fantasy production, but Shanahan does have a history of getting the most out of his running backs. Portis appears to be losing steam as the golden boy in DC and Willie Parker is rumored to be holding on by a thread. This could be the break Larry Johnson needs to become relevant in the ranks of fantasy football once again.