Week 3 Rankings - Yahoo Big Rotowski

Week 3 offers some huge early season NFL matchups.

Check out Yahoo's Big Rotowski week 3 rankings. Here are some highlights.

QB

1 Peyton Manning @ JAC
2 Carson Palmer @ PIT
3 Marc Bulger @ ARI
4 Matt Hasselbeck NYG
5 Donovan McNabb @ SF
6 Kurt Warner STL
7 Eli Manning @ SEA
8 Tom Brady DEN
9 Michael Vick @ NO
10 Byron Leftwich @ IND


RB

1 Shaun Alexander NYG
2 Ronnie Brown TEN
3 Steven Jackson @ ARI
4 Edgerrin James STL
5 Rudi Johnson @ PIT
6 Tiki Barber @ SEA
7 Frank Gore PHI
8 Brian Westbrook @ SF
9 Warrick Dunn @ NO
10 Willis McGahee NYJ

WR

1 Torry Holt @ ARI
2 Larry Fitzgerald STL
3 Chad Johnson @ PIT
4 Marvin Harrison JAC
5 Chris Chambers TEN
6 Reggie Wayne JAC
7 Donald Driver @ DET
8 Anquan Boldin STL
9 Donte' Stallworth @ SF
10 Plaxico Burress @ SEA


TE

1 Chris Cooley @ HOU
2 Heath Miller CIN
3 Alge Crumpler @ NO
4 Jeremy Shockey @ SEA
5 Benjamin Watson DEN
6 L.J. Smith @ SF
7 Todd Heap @ CLE
8 Desmond Clark @ MIN
9 Marques Colston @ ATL
10 Randy McMichael TEN 15

Kicker

1 Jeff Wilkins @ ARI
2 Neil Rackers STL
3 David Akers @ SF
4 Jason Elam @ NE
5 Jay Feely @ SEA
6 Shayne Graham @ PIT
7 Adam Vinatieri JAC
8 Matt Stover @ CLE
9 John Carney ATL
10 Robbie Gould @ MIN

Def

1 Chicago Bears @ MIN
2 Baltimore Ravens @ CLE
3 Carolina Panthers @ TB
4 Atlanta Falcons @ NO
5 Seattle Seahawks NYG
6 New England Patriots DEN
7 Washington Redskins @ HOU
8 Buffalo Bills NYJ
9 Denver Broncos @ NE
10 Philadelphia Eagles @ SF

Preseason Scare - Portis Injures Shoulder

Every fantasy football player's worst nightmare is that one of their top draft picks gets injured in the preseason.

Clinton Portis gave thousands of owners a scare on Sunday night against the Cincinnati Bengals when he dislocated his shoulder. Fortunately, it doesn't look like he will miss too much of the regular season, although he may miss a game or too. The big question is, how much will this affect his performance this season?

Check out this mock draft from Yahoo's Brandon Funston

This is a 12 team one-man draft done by Yahoo Sport's Brandon Funston. What do you think?

Is LJ still number one without Willie Roaf?

Will Antonio Gates Suffer Without Drew Brees?

For the past couple of years, San Diego Chargers Tight End Antonio Gates has put up fantastic numbers with Drew Brees at Quarterback. But this year, Gates will be catching passes from a new QB, 3rd year "rookie" Phillip Rivers.

Apparently, Gates is working hard to develop a chemistry with Rivers, and has suggested that Rivers height advantage may even lead to more looks.

Gates is a supremely talented tight end. Don't be suprised to see him put up incredible numbers again in 2006.

Will Daunte Culpepper start the season opener?

Daunte Culpepper sufferred a major knee injury last year that devastated a number of fantasy teams that invested an early pick on the QB.

Apparently, the associated press is reporting that Culpepper is ahead of schedule, and could start the season opener for his new team the Miami Dolphins.

Look for a healthy Culpepper to boost the fantasy value of Wide Receiver Chris Chambers, as well as second year running back Ronnie Brown.

Is Terrell Owens worth the risk?

We all know that Terrell Owens is the most physically dominating wide receiver in football...............when he plays. And with a veteran quarterback like Drew Bledsoe, T.O. could be a touchdown machine for the Dallas Cowboys.

But is anyone else starting to get the feeling that T.O. is playing games again? He has been nursing a hamstring for a week (the MRI came back negative), and has reportedly not established a rhythm yet with Bledsoe. I know he is on top of everyone's WR leader board, but I'm already losing confidence in him. Drafting T.O. is always a gamble, and your high draft pick may be better served with a Chad Johnson or Torry Holt.

Fantasy Football Defense Rankings

There are one or two defenses out there that are worth keeping on your team the entire year. After that, if you are in a waiver wire league, you can probably pick up a new defense each week based on matchups, and still perform well.

Here are the top 10 Yahoo defensed based upon a composite of their in-house experts.

1. Chicago Bears
2. Carolina Panthers
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
4. Indianapolis Colts
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
6. Jacksonville Jaguars
7. Seattle Seahawks
8. Baltimore Ravens
9. New York Giants
10. Denver Broncos

Fantasy Football Kicker Rankings

Although kicker is typically the last position you should be concerned with in your draft, an elite kicker can give you a slight edge over your competition. The top ranked kicker this year is Adam Vinatieri, newly acquired by the Indianapolis Colts. Mr. Clutch should see increased numbers in the dome with the high powered Colts offense.

Here is the Yahoo composite top 10 from their in-house experts.

1. Adam Vinatieri
2. Neil Rackers
3. Shayne Graham
4. Jason Elam
5. Jay Feely
6. Mike Vanderjagt
7. Jeff Wilkins
8. John Kasay
9. David Akers
10. Josh Brown

Nothing sparks controversy like a top 10 kicker list.

Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings

Tight End has become a much more valuable position in recent years, with young stars like Antonio Gates and Jeremy Shockey turning the position into an offensive weapon. This years class looks to be deeper than ever, with Gates leading the field again.

Check out Yahoo's composite top 10 from their in-house experts.

1. Antonio Gates
2. Jeremy Shockey
3. Tony Gonzalez
4. Todd Heap
5. Alge Crumpler
6. Chris Cooley
7. Jason Witten
8. Heath Miller
9. Randy McMichael
10. L.J. Smith

Looking for a late round sleeper. Try Zach Hilton of the Saints, who will now be teamed up with Drew Brees. If Brees looks for Hilton as much as he looked for Gates, they could put up great numbers. Also, note that Kellen Winslow is finally returning from his devastating motorcycle accident.

Fantasy Football - Quarterback Rankings

Is there any question this year who the #1 fantasy quarterback is. With Carson Palmer still mending from the knee injury, and Tom Brady losing receivers, Peyton Manning is the clear cut #1 quarterback choice this year.

Here are the Yahoo experts top 10 fantasy football wide receivers:

1. Peyton Manning
2. Tom Brady
3. Matt Hasselbeck
4. Carson Palmer
5. Marc Bulger
6. Eli Manning
7. Daunte Culpepper
8. Jake Delhomme
9. Trent Green
   
10. Kurt Warner

If you looking for a sleeper this year, look no further than Kurt Warner. The guy put up great numbers near the end of last year, and he has the best WR combo in the NFL. However, make sure you draft a good backup because his health is always suspect.

I dare thee to disagree.

Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Rankings - WR Rankings

Yesterday we looked at Yahoo's Fantasy Football Running Back rankings. Today, we'll check out the top Fantasy Wide Receivers.

Once again, these rankings are based on a composite of Yahoo's in-house experts. Steve Smith is the consensus number one choice this year base upon last season's monster performance. But after that, the controversy begins.

Terrell Owens is this year's big wild card. Will he light it up in Dallas, or is he too much of a risk?

My personal opinion: I'd take him in a heartbeat. The guy is a touchdown machine.

The rest of the rankings are as follows:

1. Steve Smith
2. Terrell Owens
3. Chad Johnson
4. Torry Holt
5. Marvin Harrison
6. Anquan Boldin
7. Larry Fitzgerald
8. Chris Chambers
9. Randy Moss
10. Darrell Jackson

Let me hear what you think.

Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings

Yahoo has posted a composite ranking of the top 30 fantasy football running backs based on the opinions of their in-house experts. No suprise here, Shaun Alexander and Larry Johnson share the top spot with LaDainian Tomlinson following close behind. The top 10 are as follows:

1. Shaun Alexander
2. Larry Johnson
3. LaDainian Tomlinson
4. Tiki Barber
5. Clinton Portis
6. Edgerrin James
7. Rudi Johnson
   
8. LaMont Jordan
9. Ronnie Brown
10. Steven Jackson

Do you agree with this list? Any snubs?

Fantasy Football Season

Fantasy Football 2006 is already underway. Stay tuned for the latest news, and strategy to get you ready for the upcoming season..................