Who will be the top receiver this year?

Two years ago, Steve Smith ran away with best fantasy WR stats with a monster season. Last year, however, a combination of personal and team injuries negatively affected his numbers and Marvin Harrison rose to the top or the WR fantasy charts.

This year should see many of the same names at the top of the charts (Harrison, Smith, Ownes, Holt, Johnson, Wayne). But who will rise to the top?

My prediction is Chad Johnson. Johnson had a relatively down year last year, partly due to Carson Palmer coming fresh of a knee injury and also due to an extremely tough schedule.

This year, Carson is 1.5 years removed from surgery and should benefit from a full training camp schedule. Furthermore, the Bengals mediocre record last year has landed them an easier schedule.

With Chris Henry on suspension for most of the year, look for Chad Johnson to have his best season and rise to the top of the fantasy WR charts.

Is Peyton Manning still a 1st Round Pick?

Beneath the Michael Vick headlines this week was a nearly forgotten story about Tarik Glenn, the 10 year veteran left tackle for the Indianapolis Colts, announcing his surprise retirement.

Glenn has been protecting Peyton Manning's blind side for Manning's entire career and has made the Colt's OL one the the best in the league for pass protection.

The problem is, no one is ready to replace Glenn yet. The Colts used a 2nd round draft choice on Tony Ugoh. The other option is 2006 6th round choice Charlie Johnson, who played 3 quarters during the Super Bowl.

The big question is: will this affect Manning's fantasy football numbers this year? Will the loss of Glenn have a negative impact on the Colt's offense overall.

Those planning on drafting Manning in the 1st round may want to hesitate slightly. It's still Manning, but LT is one of the most important positions in football, and the Colt's just took a big hit.

Running Backs to Avoid

One of the challenges every year in fantasy football is to avoid players that will break your team. This is especially true with the running back (RB) position. A wrong early round choice on a bad RB can hurt you all season long.

Here are my top Running Backs to Avoid in 2007:

1. Shaun Alexander (Seattle Seahawks) - No longer worthy of a top 3 pick....someone in your league will take him that early, but lets hope its not you.
   
2. Ronnie Brown (Miami Dolphins) - Has yet to produce consistently.
   
3. Clinton Portis (Washington Redskins) - Will he stay healthy? Probably not.
   
4. Travis Henry (Denver Broncos) - Never count on one RB in Denver.
   
5. Willis McGahee (Baltimore Ravens) - This one has fantasy trap written all over it - steer clear.
   

Top 5 Fantasy Football Running Backs for 2007

Here is a list to get things started for 2007. My current draft board for the top 5 fantasy football running backs in 2007.

1. LaDainian Tomlinson
2. Larry Johnson
3. Steven Jackson
4. Shaun Alexander
5. Frank Gore

Anyone else belong on this list?

Quarterback Moves

This off-season has seen a number of different quarterback moves in the NFL. Trent Green was recently signed by the Dolphins who will now likely trade away Daunte Culpepper. This leaves Damon Huard as the likely starting QB for Cleveland, a role he played well last year.

Also, rookies Brady Quinn and JaMarcus Russel look to take over for Cleveland and Oakland respectively.

NFL 2007 Fantasy Off-Season Report

Lots of big moves this season that will affect next year's fantasy rosters and draft strategy. Here are a few of the highlights:

Matt Schaub—Houston
Willis McGahee--Baltimore
Jamal Lewis--Cleveland
Thomas Jones--New York
Dominic Rhodes--Oakland
Drew Bennett--St. Louis
Donte’ Stallworth—New England
Kyle Brady—New England

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.