Talking NFL

In Step 1, we reviewed the top 6 studs from the ‘06 season.  Now it’s time to predict who the big guns will be in this year’s campaign…

Before we begin, I want to reitirate my definition of a STUD (especially if T-Bone is still trolling around out there…he’s a tad slow…):  A fantasy stud to me is not just a player who puts up a ton of points; it’s a player (or defense) whose point total surpasses his nearest competitor at that position by a wide margin.  That’s why I highlighted both the Ravens and Bears defenses, but no tight ends from last year.  The # 3 defense (the Vikings) was a whopping 59 points below the Ravens, while the difference in scoring between the top four tight-ends in the league was only 18 points.

So we’re doing this stud review (guh…sounds like I’m at Chippendale’s) by position, nominating as many players at each position that I feel will blow away the rest of the pack.  Ready?  Good - on we go!

For starters, I’m taking 4 guys from the list of last years studs:

1) Running Back - LaDainian Tomlinson (Chargers)
2) Quarterback - Peyton Manning (Colts)
3) Wide Receiver - Reggie Wayne (Colts)
4) Defense - Baltimore Ravens

No need to dig deep on those selections (we’ve covered that ground), but I will make a few comments on the 2 studs from last year that I’m leaving off the list:

- I have nothing but good things to say about WR Marvin Harrison.  He’s been a consummate professional (minus that one diva moment he had last year), never showboats, and is going to be in the Hall of Fame someday.

He also turns 35 this year.

I really don’t see ANYONE out there talking about this, but that’s a big problem in my eyes.  Just look at the career stats for Jerry Rice, Tim Brown, or any other All Pro wideout; their numbers may not drop off right at age 35 (most do earlier), but when they do, they plummet.  I’m not saying that’s going to happen to Harrison this season, but I’m not willing to bet a 1st or 2nd round pick on him beating father time either…

- As for the Bears Defense, it’s not the release of Tank Johnson or the possible holdout of Lance Briggs that worries me.  It’s the Bears offense.  I’ve got a really bad feeling about them this year (more on that in the team previews), and a bad offense puts a huge strain on even a top tier defense.  It also means that teams may be inclined to simply keep the ball away from return ace Devin Hester and roll the dice with Sexy Rex Grossman, thus negating Hester’s impact.

OK, onto the rest of my fantasy football top 10 studs:

5) Running Back - Steven Jackson (Rams)

As we mentioned before, Larry Johnson is threatening a contract holdout.  As for Shaun Alexander, there’s last years abysmal performance that wrecked numerous fantasy teams, combined with an unclear diagnosis of his foot injury, and the fact that he turns 30, a dreaded number for running backs (otherwise?  Love him, really…).  So Steven Jackson vaults to the #2 RB spot.

Last year, Jackson joined the running back elite, rushing for 1,528 yards and 13 TDs.  What makes him even more appealing is the fact that he’s a double-treat as a receiver; he pulled in 90 receptions for 806 yards and 3 receiving TDs last year.  Combine that with the facts that St. Louis has a consistent passing game to support him, he’ll be 24 when the season starts, and the Rams play in a dome, and it points to a repeat performance for Jackson.

Speaking of young running backs…that leads me to stud #6.  However, since I need some Dunkin Donuts coffee and a cruller to recharge (oh, wait, we don’t have Dunks in L.A.  Grrrrrr….looks like it’s IHOP instead…), we’ll post the next 5 studs tomorrow.

NFL, Fantasy Football, Top 10 Studs for 2007, big tease