Fantasy Football 2009 Season

The 2009 Fantasy Football season is right around the corner. Stay tuned for new updates on 2009 fantasy football rankings for all positions, plus draft strategies, sleeper picks and more. NFL training camps begin starting July 25th.

Fantasy Football Draft Strategy - Getting Ready for D-Day

The NFL season is approaching fast and its time to solidify your draft strategy. If you go into the draft without a plan, there is a good chance that you will come out with a bad team. Here are some rules to keep in mind as you prepare for winning your fantasy football league.

1. Don't chase last years stars - Brady will have a great year, but he won't break the touchdown record again. Same for Randy Moss. Expect their stats to fall a bit and adjust your draft accordingly.
   
2. Play it safe in rounds 1 and 2. Get healthy guys that produce year after year.
   
3. Know your rosters and depth charts. They are easy to check at yahoo sports.
   
4. Spend time targeting players in the 6th, 7th, and 8th rounds. These can often be the players that make or break your team.
   
5. Look for good deals, but be careful not to risk too much. Hoping that Manning falls to the third round may cost you an elite QB.
   

NFC Sleeper Picks

CNNSI has released a list of NFC sleeper picks for the upcoming fantasy football season. Here are the winners from each team.

• Felix Jones, RB, Dallas Cowboys
• Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, NY Giants
• DeSean Jackson, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
• Jason Campbell, QB, Washington Redskins
• Devin Hester, WR, Chicago Bears
• Kevin Smith, RB, Detroit Lions
• James Jones, WR, Green Bay Packers
• Sidney Rice, WR, Minnesota Vikings
• Laurent Robinson, WR, Atlanta Falcons
• DeAngelo Williams, RB, Carolina Panthers
• Pierre Thomas, RB, New Orleans Saints
• Antonio Bryant, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Tim Hightower, RB, Arizona Cardinals
• Antonio Pittman, RB, St. Louis Rams
• Josh Morgan, WR, San Francisco 49ers
• Maurice Morris, RB, Seattle Seahawks
  

Fantasy Football Player on the Rise

Jerricho Cotchery is moving up my list of fantasy wide receivers in the draft. He's had 82 catches in each of the last two years in an unstable quarterback situation.

Things are different now that Brett Favre is the QB. Favre is getting more comfortable in the Jets offense and Cotchery should be his #1 target. The only thing Cotchery has been missing in his game is more touchdowns, he only had 2 last year. That should change with the TD-happy Favre throwing at him. If you get Cotchery as your #2 wideout, you've done well this year.

Preseason Week 3 Notes

Here are some of the noteworthy fantasy football headlines from week 3 of the preseason.

• Kurt Warner named starting QB for the Arizona Cardinals. Warner passed for 27 TD's last season. He could be a great mid-round steal at quarterback this year.
  
• Rookie Matt Ryan is named starting QB for the Atlanta Falcons.
  
• Darren McFadden had 40 yards on 12 carries for the Raiders. I expect McFadden to get the bulk of the carries this year for Oakland.
• Favre went 9-of-12 for 96 yards for the Jets.
• Selvin Young started for the Broncos and ran for 42 yards on 6 carries.
  

Which Running Back will Get the Most Carries in 2008

The days of running backs receiving 400+ carries in a year appears to be over. These days, teams spread the carries around more to 2 or 3 running backs in order to keep everyone fresh. LaDainian Tomlinson led the league last year with 375 carries. The year before, 3 running backs had over 400 carries. Here is Yahoo sports projected top 10 in carries for 2008.

1 L. Tomlinson SD 395
2 Jamal Lewis CLE 350
3 Clinton Portis WAS 348
4 Marion Barber DAL 347
5 Brian Westbrook PHI 342
6 Marshawn Lynch BUF 340
7 Steven Jackson STL 336
8 Joseph Addai IND 331
9 Edgerrin James ARI 330
10 Ryan Grant GB 327
10 Frank Gore SF 327

Based on this list, you should be careful not to underrate guys like Jamal Lewis and Clinton Portis. Both had great years last year and should once again be league leaders in carries.

Fantasy Football Players with Dropping Value

As the preseason continues to unfold, certain players have moved down my list for various reasons. Here are some of the players I am currently down on.

• Chad Johnson - Injured shoulder and a bad attitude may prevent Chad from getting his numbers this year. Plus, the Bengals just re-signed Chris Henry.
  
• Ronnie Brown - May be traded and could lose time to Ricky Williams.
  
• Marc Bulger - St. Louis has lost 2 offensive lineman, don't expect him to last the season.
  
• Carson Palmer - The chemistry of the Bengals seems worse than ever.
  
• Steve Smith - Suspended for fighting. Could still get his numbers, but he is a risk.
  
• Larry Johnson - I just don't like the offense in KC this year.
  
• Earnest Graham - Just lost a key blocker this week.
  
• Ryan Grant - Aaron Rodgers is no Brett Favre. This will affect the GB running game.
  
• Brandon Marshall
  

Steven Jackson Will End his Holdout

For those of you still waiting for your NFL fantasy football draft, you can now put Steven Jackson back near the top of your running back board. Jackson has ended his holdout with the St. Louis Rams. Many sites rank Steven Jackson as high as #3 on the RB board. But the holdout has caused some reservations. Adding to the uncertainty, the Rams have lost 2 offensive lineman so far in the preseason.

Time will tell whether or not the offensive line is up to the task. But you can be certain that you are drafting a healthy and happy Steven Jackson now.

Rams Lose 2 Offensive Lineman - Proceed with Caution

The St. Louis Rams have lost two offensive lineman for the season. Mark Setterstrom and tackle Brandon Gorin both suffered preseason injuries that will force them to miss the remainder of the year.

QB Marc Bulger also took a hard hit and left the game early with a minor shoulder injury. The Rams have struggled lately with their offensive line, and losing two starters this early in the season does not bode well for them. If Marc Bulger gets beat up again this year, don't expect him to last through the season.

With Steven Jackson still holding out, the Rams offense is looking pretty shaky so far. I would proceed with caution in your fantasy draft with players like Steven Jackson, Marc Bulger, and Torry Holt. They still may produce this year, but it could be risky to take them too early.

The Talented Mr. Roto's 50 Facts

The Talented Mr. Roto has published 50 facts you need to know for the upcoming fantasy football season. Here are some highlights.

• David Garrard averaged15.4 fantasy points a game last year.
  
• Carson Palmer only had 5 touchdowns over the last 5 weeks last year.
  
• Kurt Warner led the NFL in touchdown passes in the final 8 games.
  
• Drew Brees was second in red zone attempts
• Brian Westbrook led the league in total yards from scrimmage.
  
• Joseph Addai was second in the league in goal line carries.
  
• Michael Turner has only 11 receptions in 4 years.
  
• Jerricho Cotchery has increased his yardage totals for 4 straight years....and Favre is now his quarterback.