Associated Press Writer
Preseason fantasy football rankings, with last year’s statistics and comments:
QUARTERBACKS,
1. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis: 4,397 yards passing, 31 touchdowns, 9 interceptions, 4 TDs rushing. With that pesky Super Bowl ring out of way, he can get back to piling up fantasy stats. Could see more shootouts now that most of championship defense is gone.
2. Carson Palmer, Cincinnati: 4,035 yards, 28 TDs, 13 INTs. Injury is no longer concern after he started every game last year. Plus, most skill position players are back without legal problems.
3. Drew Brees, New Orleans: 4,418 yards, 26 TDs, 11 INTs. Big surprise of 2006 tailed off at end of season, but he’s healthy and has full year of experience in Sean Payton’s offense.
4. Marc Bulger, St. Louis: 4,301 yards, 24 TDs, 8 INTs. Posted career highs in yards and TDs, plus finally played 16 games in his first year away from Mike Martz’s blocker-free scheme. New targets Drew Bennett and Randy McMichael help, too.
5. Tom Brady, New England: 3,529 yards, 24 TDs, 12 INTs. He only had three 300-yard games last year, but numbers should jump after Patriots bought receivers in bulk. Randy Moss and Donte’ Stallworth could be huge weapons (or just sulky injured guys).
6. Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia: 2,647 yards, 18 TDs, 6 INTs, 3 TDs rushing. Big numbers are probable, but so is injury. He’s missed 13 games the past two years, and he’s already icing those knees down on the sideline. He’ll produce, just keep the backup ready.
7. Vince Young, Tennessee: 2,199 yards, 12 TDs, 13 INTs, 552 yards rushing, 7 TDs rushing. Sure, he’s punching guys on his own team, getting benched for missing curfew and throwing preseason passes to no one in particular, but Rookie of Year should again single-handedly carry the Titans.
8. Tony Romo, Dallas: 2,903 yards, 19 TDs, 13 INTs. Only has 10 NFL starts, and new offensive coaches combined last year to coach Joey Harrington, Daunte Culpepper, Cleo Lemon and Rex Grossman. But he was a Pro Bowl pick and has solid receivers – and he won’t hold on kicks anymore.
9. Jon Kitna, Detroit: 4,208 yards, 21 TDs, 22 INTs, 2 TDs rushing. Beefed up line, Roy Williams-Calvin Johnson-Mike Furrey combo, Martz offense and cocky 10-win prediction make him hard to resist. (Just resist taking him too early.)
10. Philip Rivers, San Diego: 3,388 yards, 22 TDs, 9 INTS. A year of experience and the arrival of QB guru Norv Turner could mean big jump in numbers. Or it could mean Rivers just hands off all day.
11. J.P. Losman, Buffalo: 3,051 yards, 19 TDs, 14 INTS, 1 TD run. Longtime fantasy football punch line is suddenly legit. He had a few 300-yard games and a few three-TD games last season, and the Bills actually went out and bought themselves an offensive line.
12. Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle: 2,442 yards, 18 TDs, 15 INTs. He missed four games to injury and missed plenty of open receivers when he did play. Should be back over 20 TDs, but even when healthy he’s always just been above-average fantasy QB.
13. Eli Manning, NY Giants: 3,244 yards, 24 TDs, 18 INTs. Is this the year he goes nuts? Or the year we finally accept the fact he’s an erratic turnover machine and not another Peyton? (Tiki Barber, for one, seems certain of the latter.)
14. Matt Leinart, Arizona: 2,541 yards, 11 TDs, 12 INTs, 2 TDs rushing. There could be no worse way to measure a QB than a preseason game against Houston, but perfection is impressive. Even though Arizona’s using a new run-heavy offense, there should be plenty of passing too.
15. Jay Cutler, Denver: 1,001 yards, 9 TDs, 5 INTs. Numbers should really take off now that Jake Plummer’s no longer teaching him things. New RB Travis Henry should also relieve some pressure.
16. Jake Delhomme, Carolina: 2,805 yards, 17 TDs, 11 INTs. Even with a new offensive coordinator and plenty of weapons, don’t trust him as anything but a backup until he proves himself. (Oh, and sorry to anyone who drafted him based on my glowing reviews last year.)
17. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh: 3,513 yards, 18 TDs, 23 INTs, 2 TDs rushing. Barring motorcycle crashes and surprise organ removal, he might even throw to guys on his own team in new offense that promises plenty more passes.
18. Matt Schaub, Houston: 208 yards, TD, 2 INTs. Maybe he’s the next Brett Favre, also a little-used backup before Atlanta traded him. Or maybe he’s the next Rob Johnson, who was traded away and then became a little-used backup.
19. Rex Grossman, Chicago: 3,193 yards, 23 TDs, 20 INTs. Good Rex is so good, but Bad Rex is so very, very bad. Playing his first full season, he had 21 touchdowns and two interceptions in 10 games. In the other six, he had two TDs and 18 INTs.
20. Alex Smith, San Francisco: 2,890 yards, 16 TDs, 16 INTS, 2 TDs rushing. TDs last year were up 15 from his disastrous one-score rookie season. New WRs will help, though team’s on fifth offensive coordinator in five years.
21. Jeff Garcia, Tampa Bay: 1,309 yards, 10 TDs, 2 INTs. He’s only good in the West Coast offense so could excel under West Coast master Jon Gruden. Then again, there’s probably a reason why the 37-year-old’s on his fifth team in five years.
22. Brett Favre, Green Bay: 3,885 yards, 18 TD passes, 18 INTs, 1 TD rushing. The Packers celebrated Favre’s return for one more season by … doing nothing. Look for him again to throw exclusively to Donald Driver and whoever is covering him.
23. Byron Leftwich, Jacksonville: 1,159 yards, 7 TDs, 5 INTS, 2 TDs rushing. He’s never played 16 games or surpassed 3,000 yards or 15 touchdowns. But he’s healthy and loves new system that actually includes passing.
24. Jason Campbell, Washington: 1,297 yards, 10 TDS, 6 INTs, 112 yards rushing. Pass protection a bit of a concern, especially after scary knee injury in preseason. He expects to be ready for regular season, though.
25. Daunte Culpepper, Oakland: 929 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs. 1 TD rushing. Still has to officially beat out Josh McCown and Andrew Walter, but looked ready for the Preseason Hall of Fame after last week. Certainly worth a late shot.
26. Chad Pennington, NY Jets: 3,352 yards, 17 TDs, 16 INTs. The good news is, he’s really consistent. The bad news: He’s consistently good for one TD a game. Handoff stats should go way up with Thomas Jones on board.
27. Joey Harrington, Atlanta: 2,236 yards, 12 TDs, 15 INTs. His agent is a genius, getting him signed to back up a non-playing starter for the second straight year.
28. Some Guy in Kansas City. Larry Johnson’s signing gives marginal value to the winner of the competition between Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard.
29. Tarvaris Jackson, Minnesota: 475 yards, 2 TDs, 4 INTs, 1 TD rushing. Didn’t show a lot while learning Minnesota’s TD-free scheme. He’s great if your league awards extra points for muscular QBs.
30. Trent Green, Miami: 1,342 yards, 7 TDs, 9 INTs. He’s 37 and was known last year mostly as the guy whose skull bounced off the turf. Averaged about 4,000 yards and 22 TDs the five previous seasons, though.
31. Steve McNair, Baltimore: 3,050 yards, 16 TDs, 12 INTs, 1 TD rushing. He didn’t throw much before the Ravens landed a good RB, so look for lots more handoffs.
32. David Carr, Carolina: 2,767 yards, 11 TDs, 12 INTs, 2 rushing TDs. Worth late gamble, in case Delhomme out-underachieves him.
RUNNING BACKS
1. LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego: 1,815 yards and 28 TDs rushing (5.2 yards per carry), 508 yards and 3 TDs receiving, 2 TD passes. May never post such ridiculous numbers again, but anywhere remotely close could bring fantasy title.
2. Steven Jackson, St. Louis: 1,528 yards and 13 TDs rushing (4.4 yards per carry), 806 yards and 3 TDs receiving. Turns out he’s pretty good when he actually gets the ball. Averaged about 180 yards from scrimmage and scored eight times in final three games.
3. Frank Gore, San Francisco: 1,695 yards and 8 TDs rushing (5.4 yards per carry), 485 yards and 1 TD receiving. Broken hand keeping him out of preseason, but he’ll be rested and ready to carry a heavy load again in the real games.
4. Larry Johnson, Kansas City: 1,789 yards and 17 TDs rushing (4.3 yards per carry), 410 yards and 2 TDs receiving. Now that he’s signed, he forces a tough choice: Do you take him early thinking he’ll continue amazing two-year run? Or do you pass because history says he’ll decline after NFL-record 416 carries, and the Chiefs offense should be crummy?
5. Joseph Addai, Indianapolis: 1,081 yards and 7 TDs rushing (4.8 yards per carry), 325 yards and 1 TD receiving. The Colts wanted him to share some carries, but they have no one to share with. He’ll get more touches than he had in his 1,400-yard rookie year.
6. Willie Parker, Pittsburgh: 1,494 yards and 13 TDs rushing (4.4 yards per carry), 222 yards and 3 TDs receiving. Proved last year that he can handle heavy load and still break away for long run here and there. May lose a few carries, but should catch more passes.
7. Shaun Alexander, Seattle: 896 yards and 7 TDs rushing (3.6 yards per carry), 48 yards receiving. He’s a high-mileage 30-year-old coming off injury and playing behind lesser line than he had in 2005 MVP season. If you think he can return to monster numbers of a few years ago, take him earlier.
8. Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia: 1,217 yards and 7 TDs rushing (5.1 yards per carry), 699 yards and 4 TDs receiving. Durability, schmurability. Sure, the 5-foot-8 back never plays all 16 games, but he’s put in at least 12 the past three years.
9. Rudi Johnson, Cincinnati: 1,309 yards and 12 TDs rushing (3.8 yards per carry), 124 yards receiving. Yet another heavy workload was good for third straight 12-TD season in 2006, but he also had lowest average per carry of career.
10. Travis Henry, Denver: 1,211 yards and 7 TDs rushing (4.5 yards per carry), 78 yards receiving. After vanishing for a few years, posted career-high yards per carry last season while proving he can still carry load. Knee sprain not as serious as it looked, and he’s expected to play in the opener.
11. Laurence Maroney, New England: 745 yards and 6 TDs rushing (4.3 yards per carry), 194 yards and 1 TD receiving. Made most of his touches last year, and now he won’t share time. Would feel much better about his injury history if he’d appear at least once in the preseason.
12. Willis McGahee, Baltimore: 990 yards and 6 TDs rushing (3.8 yards per carry), 156 yards receiving. He’s turned in his fair share of clunkers and has never caught a TD pass, but he’s in system that actually got production from Jamal Lewis.
13. Ronnie Brown, Miami: 1,008 yards and 5 TDs rushing (4.2 yards per carry), 276 yards receiving. Wasn’t he supposed to go nuts with Ricky Williams out of the picture? He was pretty pedestrian, although defenses weren’t exactly respecting Cleo Lemon and other Miami passers.
14. Reggie Bush, New Orleans: 565 yards and 6 TDs rushing (3.6 yards per carry), 742 yards and 2 TDs receiving. Got off to shaky rookie year, but had TD or 100 yards in four of last five games. (Take him higher if your league awards points for receptions.)
15. Edgerrin James, Arizona: 1,159 yards and 6 TDs rushing (3.4 yards per carry), 217 yards receiving. A few nice games in December salvaged otherwise awful desert debut. Loss of injured tackle Oliver Ross hurts new run-first offense, but if anyone can patch things up it’s line coach Russ Grimm.
16. Thomas Jones, NY Jets: 1,210 yards and 6 TDs rushing, 154 yards receiving. For some reason, the Bears never really liked this guy who always went for 1,200 yards. Strained right calf is a concern, but he says he should be back by the season-opener.
17. Cedric Benson, Chicago: 647 yards and 6 TDs rushing (4.1 yards per carry), 54 yards receiving. After two years marked by bench-warming and injury, he finally gets shot as featured back.
18. Clinton Portis, Washington: 523 yards and 7 TDs rushing (4.1 yards per carry), 170 yards receiving. Be very fearful if his knee isn’t better by the time you draft. (He even had a recent visit with the dreaded Dr. William Andrews.)
19. Marshawn Lynch, Buffalo: Rookie. Besides having original parts in his knees, Lynch is much better receiver than McGahee. Bills are even planning to block.
20. Brandon Jacobs, NY Giants: 423 yards and 9 TDs rushing (4.4 yards per carry), 149 yards receiving. The 264-pound steamroller gets his chance to do more than plow through for 1-yard TDs. Brutal running style could mean injury, so also draft Reuben Droughns.
21. Deuce McAllister, New Orleans: 1,057 yards and 10 TDs rushing (4.3 yards per carry), 198 yards receiving. Can he duplicate solid numbers while sharing time?
22. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville: 941 yards and 13 TDs rushing (5.7 yards per carry), 436 yards and 2 TDs receiving, 1 kickoff return for TD. Really, is 5-foot-7 fireplug going to score 16 TDs again sharing time in crowded backfield? He may, but it’s hard to spend high pick on part-timer.
23. Tatum Bell, Detroit: 1,025 yards and 2 TDs rushing (4.4 yards per carry), 115 yards receiving. Martz has declared him the greatest guy ever and says Kevin Jones will have to win the starting spot back even if he does somehow return from major foot injury.
24. Carnell Williams, Tampa Bay: 798 yards and 1 TD rushing (3.5 yards per carry), 196 yards receiving. He was master of 40-yard game last year, but a decent QB should help him find space. Until then, he’s just Carnell – the “Cadillac” nickname has been repossessed.
25. Jamal Lewis, Cleveland: 1,132 yards and 9 TDs rushing (3.6 yards per carry), 115 yards receiving. Yards per carry have dropped dramatically since 2,000-yard season, but his patented tiptoe-then-fall move is actually an upgrade for Cleveland.
26. Marion Barber, Dallas: 654 yards and 14 TDs rushing (4.8 yards per carry), 196 yards and 2 TDs receiving. He averaged 10 touches a game but still managed a TD a game. Could get more carries, but he’ll still mostly share with Jones.
27. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota: Rookie. Time-sharing arrangement with Chester Taylor may last until Peterson’s first 80-yard run. And who cares if he gets hurt here and there? He’s huge and scary.
28. Ahman Green, Houston: 1,059 yards and 5 TDs rushing (4.0 yards per carry), 373 yards and 1 TD receiving. The 30-year-old rebounded from injury and had decent year on lousy offense. Now he gets chance to be decent for different lousy offense.
29. Chester Taylor, Minnesota: 1,216 yards and 6 TDs rushing (4.0 yards per carry) and 288 yards receiving. He’s still the starter, and Vikings say he’ll get more than half the carries. (They just may not be as exciting as Peterson’s.)
30. Julius Jones, Dallas: 1,084 yards and 4 TDs rushing (4.1 yards per carry), 142 yards receiving. Role got smaller and TDs less frequent as last season wore on. But he likes Bill Parcells-free offense, is in a contract year and even gets some red-zone carries in practice.
31. Brandon Jackson, Green Bay: Rookie. Second-round pick from Nebraska has looked strong and could get plenty of action, especially with the timeline uncertain on the return of the fragile Vernand Morency.
32. DeShaun Foster, Carolina: 897 yards and 3 TDs rushing (4.0 yards per carry), 159 yards receiving. He’s actually been fairly healthy past few years, he’s an infrequent end zone visitor who shares a job. He is a starter, though.
33. DeAngelo Williams, Carolina: 501 yards and 1 TD rushing (4.1 yards per carry), 313 yards and 1 TD receiving. Seems to have more upside, though role is uncertain until Foster gets hurt. (Although Williams is also starting to look a bit like an injury risk.)
34. Jerious Norwood, Atlanta: 633 yards and 2 TDs rushing (6.4 yards per carry), 102 yards receiving. Warrick Dunn is practicing after back surgery, so it’s hard to say how many carries he’ll wind up with.
35. LaMont Jordan, Oakland: 434 yards and 2 TDs rushing (3.8 yards per carry), 74 yards receiving. He’s not much to get excited about, but he should at least be the starter for four weeks thanks to Dominic Rhodes’ suspension.
36. Fred Taylor, Jacksonville: 1,146 yards and 5 TDs rushing (5.0 yards per carry), 242 yards and 1 TD receiving. Is there a less interesting 1,100-yard back out there? He’s 31 and sharing time with all sorts of guys.
37. Chris Brown, Tennessee, 156 yards and 0 TDs rushing. Somehow, the guy the Titans didn’t really want to have around so much last year seems to be the top candidate to start as the perpetually injured LenDale White can’t get on the field.
38. Ladell Betts, Washington: 1,154 yards and 4 TDs rushing (4.7 yards per carry), 445 yards and 1 TD receiving. The longer Portis sits, the better Betts looks.
39. Vernand Morency, Green Bay: 434 yards and 2 TDs rushing (4.5 yards per carry), 118 yards receiving. He’s expected to share time with Jackson, and perhaps even Noah Herron. But keep an eye on his health after a knee injury the first day of camp knocked him out for a few weeks.
40. Leon Washington, NY Jets, 650 yards and 4 TDs rushing (4.3 yards per carry), 270 yards receiving. Will get some carries even if Thomas Jones is healthy.
41. Reuben Droughns, NY Giants: 758 yards and 4 TDs rushing (3.4 yards per carry), 169 yards receiving. Free from Cleveland’s blocking-optional scheme, Droughns should back up Jacobs in the always odd 500-pound backfield.
42. LenDale White, Tennessee: 244 yards and 0 TDs (4.0 yards per carry). Other than hamstring injury, fattening up to about 260 pounds, missing team workout and not playing in preseason games, it’s been a great offseason. Still may wind up with the job at some point this season, though.
43. Adrian Peterson, Chicago: 41 yards and 2 TDs rushing (4.7 yards per carry), 88 yards receiving. If Benson’s a bust, he could be the best Adrian Peterson going this year.
44. Mike Bell, Denver: 677 yards and 8 TDs rushing (4.3 yards per carry), 158 yards receiving. Remember this guy? He was the next big deal in Denver at least a couple times last year. Now he’s just good insurance if you have Henry.
45. Michael Turner, San Diego: 502 yards and 2 TDs rushing (6.3 yards per carry), 47 yards receiving. The 240-pound bruiser had a three-year career average of 6.0 yards a carry. A must if you also have Tomlinson.
46. Anthony Thomas, Buffalo: 378 yards and 2 TDs rushing (3.5 yards per carry). Could be steal if Lynch doesn’t live up to expectations.
47. Ron Dayne, Houston: 612 yards and 5 TDs rushing (4.1 yards per carry), 77 yards receiving. Could be worth late gamble considering short-yardage potential and Green’s age and fragility.
48. Dominic Rhodes, Oakland: 641 yards and 5 TDs rushing (3.4 yards per carry), 251 yards receiving. Starting season with four-game suspension, he could be the latest Super Bowl hero to flop in Oakland. (See Larry Brown, Desmond Howard.)
49. Warrick Dunn, Atlanta: 1,140 yards and 4 TDs rushing (4.0 yards per carry), 170 yards and 1 TD receiving. Back surgery right before camp is never good, especially for smallish 32-year-old running backs. Could even lose time to rookie Jason Snelling.
50. Chris Henry, Tennessee: Rookie. First of all, he’s not the suspended guy named Chris Henry. And Chris Brown didn’t change his name. Neither did Travis Henry. Chris Henry’s a rookie who didn’t carry much in college, but went crazy at the combine. Hasn’t made much noise in three-way position battle, but could.
WIDE RECEIVERS
1. Marvin Harrison, Indianapolis: 1,366 yards, 12 TDs. He’s old, but somehow defies nature and piles up at least 10 scores and 1,100 yards every year. Not sure why his stats should be much worse at 35 years old than they were at 34.
2. Steve Smith, Carolina: 1,166 yards and 8 TDs receiving, 61 yards and 1 TD rushing. I’m not sold on his durability, and his QB tends to throw lots of passes at grass, but he did catch over 100 balls last time he was healthy.
3. Torry Holt, St. Louis: 1,188 yards, 10 TDs. It was kind of an off year for him and he still had 10 scores. Look for eighth-straight 1,100-yard season as Bulger gets more comfortable in Scott Linehan’s offense.
4. Chad Johnson, Cincinnati: 1,369 yards, 7 TDs. Vanished late in season, but you can’t beat his consistency over past four years, averaging 92 catches, 1,360 yards and nine TDs. Chris Henry’s suspension should help stats.
5. Terrell Owens, Dallas: 1,180 yards, 13 TDs. Somehow, when he wasn’t busy providing an endless supply of talk radio blather, he managed to put up big stats last year. Romo has learned that a frequently-passed-to T.O. is a happy T.O.
6. Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis: 1,310 yards, 9 TDs. He may be technically the No. 2, but his numbers are like most No. 1 receivers. Receptions have gone up each of past three seasons.
7. Roy Williams, Detroit: 1,310 yards, 7 TDs. Should find plenty of open spaces if rookie Calvin Johnson is as freakish as he seems, though you wonder if he may also lose some catches.
8. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona: 946 yards, 6 TDs. Working much harder now that he’s lost the title of Dennis Green’s Pet, and should still catch plenty of passes in the new run-first offense. (The Cardinals want to run more, but have a rich history of not being able to do things they want to do.)
9. Lee Evans, Buffalo: 1,292 yards, 8 TDs. Wildly inconsistent at times, but he closed strong, with TDs in his final four games. Plus – and I can’t believe I’m saying this – Losman could have big year.
10. Javon Walker, Denver: 1,084 yards and 8 TDs receiving, 123 yards and 1 TD rushing. He didn’t really click with Cutler in their five games together, but Cutler’s no longer a panicked rookie.
11. Donald Driver, Green Bay: 1,295 yards, 8 TDs. His team is lousy, his QB is on last leg, and he’s going to be focus of every defense. But how do you argue with three straight 1,200-yard seasons?
12. Marques Colston, New Orleans: 1,038 yards, 8 TDs. Had some injuries and hit rookie wall, but 6-foot-4 Colston was dominant. He’s having knee problems, a concern considering he just may be an injury prone guy. (He missed junior year at Hofstra with shoulder injury.)
13. Andre Johnson, Houston: 1,147 yards, 5 TDs. Numbers should jump with addition of Schaub at QB because the Texans’ record of personnel moves shows … Oh, never mind. Still, Johnson produced with David Carr and no line, so things shouldn’t get worse.
14. Plaxico Burress, NY Giants: 988 yards, 10 TDs. He always makes most of those times when Eli Manning’s passes are kind of catchable, but getting open may not be so easy in the post-Tiki Barber offense. It’s good news that his ankle’s better, though.
15. Randy Moss, New England: 553 yards, 3 TDs. Forget the disaster in Oakland. He should be back to his high-flying, TD-machine ways. Unless he doesn’t feel like it. Or he’s hurt.
16. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Cincinnati: 1,081 yards, 9 TDs. A reliable target when Johnson’s covered; he caught seven or more passes in eight games.
17. Anquan Boldin, Arizona: 1,203 yards, 4 TDs. Averages about 95 catches and 1,300 yards in his three healthy seasons, but you’d like to see TDs now and then. (He had just one in last 10 games.)
18. Hines Ward, Pittsburgh: 975 yards, 6 TDs. New pass-heavy offense should still feature plenty of running, but that never stopped him before. (It was all Roethlisberger’s passes to defenders that slowed him last year.)
19. Calvin Johnson, Detroit: Rookie. Last time there was big talk about a freakish, huge, fast rookie it was Randy Moss, who went for 1,300 yards and 17 TDs in his first year.
20. Darrell Jackson, San Francisco: 956 yards, 10 TDs. Has been beat up past few years, but could end up focus of 49ers’ passing attack if he somehow stays healthy. Still, you wonder why team would trade 10-TD guy to divisional rival.
21. Reggie Brown, Philadelphia: 816 yards and 8 TDs receiving, 24 yards and 1 TD rushing. He’s main guy in Philadelphia with Stallworth gone.
22. Deion Branch, Seattle: 725 yards, 4 TDs, 30 yards rushing. Has never cracked 1,000 yards or had more than 5 TDs, but has had lots of extra work with Hasselbeck as the Seahawks’ primary target.
23. Laveranues Coles, NY Jets: 1,098 yards, 6 TDs. Had decent year but vanished a lot, with seven games of 40 or fewer yards. Emergence of Jerricho Cotchery and arrival of Thomas Jones could hurt, but it’s always cool to have a guy named Laveranues on your team.
24. Santana Moss, Washington: 790 yards and 6 TDs receiving, 82 yards rushing. Also vanished often last year, catching three or fewer passes in eight of 14 games he played. But he’ll be great for as long as he’s healthy.
25. Devery Henderson, New Orleans: 745 yards and 5 TDs receiving, 14 yards and 1 TD rushing. Burner doesn’t catch many passes, but they all seem to go for 75 yards. Make sure his hamstring’s OK, though.
26. Joey Galloway, Tampa Bay: 1,057 yards, 7 TDs. Old as dirt (36 in November), but he has 17 TDs the past two seasons. Will make a fearsome geriatric duo with Garcia.
27. Braylon Edwards, Cleveland: 884 yards, 6 TDs. Had decent numbers considering his team had no QB or line. Should benefit from all the third-and-7 situations Jamal Lewis creates.
28. Vincent Jackson, San Diego: 453 yards, 6 TDs. 6-foot-5 WR should also see a lot more passes in Turner’s system. Finished with three TDs in final two games. Should see more of Antonio Gates’ leftovers now that Eric Parker’s out injured.
29. Mark Clayton, Baltimore: 939 yards, 5 TDs. Seems on verge of breakout year, but breakout would be much more inviting if team liked to throw.
30. Jerricho Cotchery, NY Jets: 961 yards, 6 TDs. Was huge in first year as starter, but more running could hurt value.
31. Donte’ Stallworth, New England: 725 yards, 5 TDs. Known as injury prone, but four games missed last year are only absences since 2003. Hard to tell exactly how the catches will be divided among Patriots’ gaggle of new receivers.
32. Matt Jones, Jacksonville: 643 yards, 4 TDs. Everybody’s sleeper last year slept through most of season, but finally produced big in December. Should benefit from mismatches as slot receiver when the Jags explore the forward pass.
33. Chris Chambers, Miami: 677 yards and 4 TDs receiving, 95 yards rushing. Never mind the dropped passes and shaky QB situation, league’s not real happy about guys getting arrested these days. Should be ranked higher, but legal situation after DWI arrest a nagging concern.
34. Bernard Berrian, Chicago: 775 yards, 6 TDs. Got off to fast start last year, but wasn’t heard from after October. Erratic Grossman devalues him a bit.
35. Santonio Holmes, Pittsburgh: 824 yards, 2 TDs. Averaged 80 yards a game after moving into starting lineup for final four games of 2006.
36. Isaac Bruce, St. Louis: 1,098 yards, 3 TDs. Ancient No. 2 receiver will still catch fair amount of passes, but he’s quit scoring TDs and could lose time to new third receiver Drew Bennett.
37. Mike Furrey, Detroit: 1,086 yards, 6 TDs. With Johnson signed, hard to imagine him doing much, let alone leading the NFC in receptions again. Still worth a late shot in case Johnson’s a total flop.
38. Jerry Porter, Oakland: 1 catch, 19 yards. His personal nemesis is no longer the coach and Moss is no longer lobbying for every pass. Then again, can any Raiders throw?
39. Eric Moulds, Tennessee, 557 yards, 1 TD. He gives Vince Young one target who’s actually played against NFL defenders more than a couple times.
40. Terry Glenn, Dallas: 1,047 yards, 6 TDs. He’ll miss all the preseason but should be ready for the real games, although knee surgery during camp is never a good sign for a 33-year-old. (Fortunately for him, Bill Parcells is no longer around to say he’s a she.)
41. Greg Jennings, Green Bay: 632 yards, 3 TDs. Had some decent games last year, but faded after injuries and Favre’s realization he was throwing to someone not named Driver.
42. Arnaz Battle, San Francisco: 686 yards, 3 TDs. Started clicking with Smith late in season, with two scores in final three games.
43. Drew Bennett, St. Louis: 737 yards, 3 TDs. 6-foot-5 possession receiver been awfully quiet in two years since his 1,200-yard season (which is looking flukier than ever as time passes).
44. D.J. Hackett, Seattle: 610 yards, 4 TDs. Career backup gets big chance with Jackson gone and Hasselbeck healthy. Move him up if he beats out Nate Burleson.
45. Joe Horn, Atlanta: 679 yards, 4 TDs. Injuries and age have rendered him useless to fantasy teams the past few years, but the sound of Harrington-to-Horn has to get Falcons fans excited.
46. Anthony Gonzalez, Indianapolis: Rookie. Should jump right in as third receiver.
47. Kevin Curtis, Philadelphia: 479 yards, 4 TDs. Will see much more action than when he was third or fourth Rams receiver. (At least until McNabb gets hurt.)
48. Michael Clayton, Tampa Bay: 356 yards, TD. Has yet to surpass 400 yards in two seasons since going for 1,100 as a rookie. (If he ever gets healthy, maybe Garcia can help him return to rookie form.)
49. Robert Meachem, New Orleans: Rookie. Could be a steal if Henderson or Colston gets hurt.
50. James Jones, Green Bay, Rookie: Sure it’s just preseason, but his Lambeau leaping form (and two TDs) were good enough for a top 50 spot.
TIGHT ENDS
1. Antonio Gates, San Diego: 924 yards receiving, 9 TDs. The Peyton Manning of tight ends.
2. Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City: 900 yards, 5 TDs. Proved last year he doesn’t need QB to catch passes.
3. Todd Heap, Baltimore: 765 yards, 6 TDs. Always going to catch about 75 passes and six TDs.
4. Kellen Winslow, Cleveland: 875 yards, 3 TDs. Move him up if your league awards points for cockiness. (And keep an eye on those injuries.)
5. Jeremy Shockey, NY Giants: 623 yards, 7 TDs. Make sure he’s totally healthy.
6. Jason Witten, Dallas: 754 yards, TD. Should score in the plurals in new scheme that’ll have him lining up at receiver at times.
7. Heath Miller, Pittsburgh: 393 yards, 5 TDs. New offense should help yardage.
8. Chris Cooley, Washington: 734 yards, 6 TDs. Not sure anybody outside D.C. knows what he looks like, but he’s steady scorer.
9. Alge Crumpler, Atlanta: 780 yards, 8 TDs. Loses some value without Vick.
10. Bo Scaife, Tennessee: 370 yards, 2 TDs. One of few Titans receivers who has been to an NFL stadium, already seems a favorite target of Young’s.
11. Vernon Davis, San Francisco: 265 yards, 3 TDs. If healthy, big target will be big help to Smith.
12. Marcus Pollard, Seattle: 100 yards, 0 TDs. Lions ignored him last year, but Seahawks won’t.
13. Eric Johnson, New Orleans, 292 yards, 2 TDs. Had some big games in San Francisco.
14. Benjamin Watson, New England: 643 yards, 3 TDs. Patriots spread it around, especially with all the new receivers.
15. Randy McMichael, St. Louis: 640 yards, 3 TDs. Ball will be spread around with Rams.
16. Dallas Clark, Indianapolis: 367 yards, 4 TDs. Low yardage, but he’s a Colt.
17. Chris Baker, NY Jets: 300 yards, 4 TDs. Always good for big game or two.
18. Jerramy Stevens, Tampa Bay: 231 yards, 4 TDs. Gets change of scenery Seahawks wanted him to have.
19. Desmond Clark, Chicago: 626 yards, 6 TDs. Vanished late in season, and arrival of rookie Greg Olsen should hurt.
20. L.J. Smith, Philadelphia: 611 yards, 5 TDs. Gross as it sounds, keep an eye on his sports hernia.
DEFENSES
1. Baltimore. Led league in total defense, interceptions, scoring, TD runs allowed (5). I guess what I’m trying to say is, the Ravens are pretty good.
2. New England. Allowed ridiculous 10 TD passes and added Adalius Thomas.
3. Chicago. Lost a few players, but core remains from team that led league in turnovers.
4. San Diego. Led league in combined number of sacks and interceptions.
5. Miami. Joey Porter and Jason Taylor together can be scary (kind of old, but still scary).
6. Pittsburgh. Always tough, and new coach is former defensive coordinator.
7. Minnesota. Brutal run defense, and scores more TDs than Vikings offense.
8. Dallas. Was pretty good before defensive-minded head coach arrived.
9. Philadelphia. Takeo Spikes added to pressure defense that always scores.
10. Green Bay. Somehow No. 2 in combined sacks and interceptions.
11. Jacksonville. Not much changed from last year’s solid roster.
12. Oakland. Led league in pass defense, got usual big haul of free agents.
13. Denver. This time Broncos overhauled without just hiring the Cleveland defense.
14. Carolina. Weren’t that bad while underachieving last year.
15. New Orleans. Didn’t do a lot in free agency, but decent vs. pass last year.
16. Seattle. Patrick Kerney should be good for 10 more sacks.
17. Kansas City. Herm Edwards counts for something, doesn’t he?
18. Buffalo. Decent number of sacks.
19. Tampa Bay. Tried to shore up mess through draft. Plus, it’s cool there’s a whole defensive scheme named after Tampa.
20. New York Jets. Not terrible, which is what you’re looking for in No. 20 defense.
KICKERS
1. Robbie Gould, Chicago: 32 field goals, 143 points.
2. Nate Kaeding, San Diego: 26 FGs, 136 points.
3. Jeff Wilkins, St. Louis: 32 FGs, 131 points.
4. Adam Vinatieri, Indianapolis: 25 FGs, 113 points.
5. Shayne Graham, Cincinnati: 25 FGs, 115 points.
6. Matt Stover, Baltimore: 28 FGs, 121 points.
7. Josh Scobee, Jacksonville: 26 FGs, 119 points.
8. Jason Hanson, Detroit: 29 FGs, 117 points.
9. Olindo Mare, New Orleans: 26 FGs, 100 points.
10. John Kasay, Carolina: 24 FGs, 100 points.
11. Joe Nedney, San Francisco: 29 FGs, 116 points.
12. Neil Rackers, Arizona: 28 FGs, 116 points.
13. Jason Elam, Denver: 27 FGs, 115 points.
14. Josh Brown, Seattle: 25 FGs, 111 points.
15. Dave Rayner, Green Bay: 26 FGs, 109 points.
16. Lawrence Tynes, NY Giants: 24 FGs, 107 points.
17. Jay Feely, Miami: 23 FGs, 107 points.
18. Mike Nugent, NY Jets: 24 FGs, 106 points.
19. Rian Lindell, Buffalo: 23 FGs, 102 points.
20. Martin Gramatica, Dallas: 9 FGs, 44 points (or rookie Nick Folk, if he beats out Gramatica).
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