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Yesterday was the debut of the first installment of quarterback rankings. Today here are the top forty before mini-camps start. Running backs have the biggest shifts of anyone throughout the season, due to the plethora of system backfields in the NFL. A guy buried in preseason camps can rise suddenly to getting a share of the load, or even taking over due to a main injury like CJ Spiller did last season.

*Fading*- Frank Gore-

Credit Gore for his overall durability over the years. We all know though the time shelf of a running back is limited. We’ve seen the best of the best over the last ten years succumb to the wall of wear and tear and running back age. Gore will be no different. Expect a decline in production this year and for the 49ers to realize Gore is not the main focus of the offense anymore. Something they discovered during portions of last season.

*Mr. Consistent (in terms of value)*- Reggie Bush

Bush is one of those fantasy draft day players that falls in almost every draft. No one wants the old Brian Westbrook type, especially one that has an uneven amount of carries each week. The disparity of carries and workload from Bush drives down his value draft day. He more than makes up for it with his big play abilities and double digit production fantasy games. He will be a bigger threat in a Detroit Lions offense than he was in Miami. Look for him to do things he should of done while a Saint.

*Ranked Too High*- CJ Spiller

Spiller finally burst onto the scene last year after years of Bills fans waiting. He has always had the home run ability and the Bills let him run wild last year with their poor quarterback play from Ryan Fitzpatrick. That and no defense could stop him. He is not a guy that is going to carry the load twenty times a game, and therefore I believe his ranking as a top three fantasy back is artificial.

1. Adrian Peterson
2. Jamaal Charles
3. Doug Martin
4. Arian Foster
5. LeSean McCoy
6. Alfred Morris
7. Ray Rice
8. Trent Richardson
9. Marshawn Lynch
10. CJ Spiller
11. Chris Johnson
12. Matt Forte
13. Steven Jackson
14. David Wilson
15. Darren McFadden
16. MJD
17. DeMarco Murray
18. Reggie Bush
19. Le’Veon Bell
20. Frank Gore
21. Stevan Ridley
22. Chris Ivory
23. Ryan Matthews
24. Darren Sproles
25. Jonathan Stewart
26. Lamar Miller
27. Eddie Lacy
28. BenJarvus Green-Ellis
29. Vick Ballard
30. Montee Ball
31. Mark Ingram
32. Rashard Mendenhall
33. Bryce Brown
34. Mikel LeShoure
35. Andre Brown
36. DeAngelo Williams
37. Giovani Bernard
38. Fred Jackson
39. Ryan Williams
40. Shane Vereen

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In the next week or two the annual fantasy football and football preview magazines will raid newsstands. They come out at the perfect time. Right after the NBA playoffs and right before major league baseball all star break. So while you are bored to death in the summer transition of sports, you can rile up your buddies by re-rubbing in last years fantasy football league. Go ahead and make fun of their draft picks last year, as you already pre-plan ideally who you want to snag for your money league team.

It’s June so the first installment of fantasy quarterback rankings is here. The past two years has seen the success of rookie quarterbacks, but no, you will not see EJ Manuel listed in my top fifteen.

* Biggest Dip From Current Rankings*- Russel Wilson
Wilson to me had a sort of Tim Tebow/first year anomaly to his performance on the field. His best games stood out as they came in spotlight profiled games. But for a lot of his games on the field, it would take more than a quarter and sometimes a half before he would produce consistent drives. I’m not buying him being a top ten fantasy quarterback just yet.

*Mr. Consistent*- Matt Ryan
I’m typically not a gambler on a quarterback but you want someone who you can depend on. A borderline guy that crosses your mind as a high pick but you would not risk it. Those are the type of players that fall into your lap as a steal, and Ryan is that guy. The Falcons are going to continue to air out the football with their receivers, and Ryan is as consistent a fantasy quarterback you can find.

*Biggest Rise*- Ryan Tannehill
It won’t be in the first part of the season but beyond the second half of the year, watch out for Tannehill and his development. He was undervalued heavily last year with the play of Luck, RG3, and Wilson. Before all three became media sensations for leading their team to the playoffs, Tannehill was displaying the same grit and leadership. Stats are what people want though, and I think Miami will open things up a bit more for him this year. His current ranking of twenty should be the lowest of the season.

1. Drew Brees- No one gets to spread the football around like Drew Brees does. With the Packers signing Steven Jackson, they’re going to try and recommit to the ground game and protect their defense. Brees still has plenty of solid fantasy years left in him. The only concern that appeared last season was his two plus interception games last season.

2. Cam Newton- It’s been a quiet offseason for the Panthers and Newton. Newton has shied away from the spotlight and I expect him to get closer to his numbers from 2011 from his rookie season. Last year he was riding high from his rookie season and likely didn’t expect any bumps along the way. They came and now he has had an offseason to adjust into this third year.

3. Tom Brady- Weapons with his tight ends and the Bill Belichick offense are synchronized to perfection each season. Cue the old “Love and Marriage” song from the classic 80’s and 90’s sitcom.

4. Aaron Rodgers- Rodgers dips just a bit from the top three setting. Green Bay tried to attack teams with the air arsenal game to game, only to get bit by their defensive struggles. Clock management had to be rethought, and they did that with Steven Jackson. Expect more carries in the backfield, and less throws from Rodgers. That won’t take away from his quick strike ability, but it does factor in terms of fantasy football overall weekly points.

5. Matt Stafford- You’re probably thinking a little high for Stafford after his season a year ago. Yes, he did wreck a lot of owners seasons for those that reached out high on him. With Megatron on the field and Stafford’s growth and maturity, I do not believe he will have a repeat of last years inconsitencies. You should not have to contemplate benching Staff even for a couple of fantasy games this year. Plus I’m not a big believer in the NFC North’s defenses. That’s six games you can count on decent averages.

6. Peyton Manning
7. Matt Ryan
8. RG3
9. Colin Kaepernick
10. Tony Romo
11. Eli Manning
12. Russell Wilson
13. Andrew Luck
14. Ben Roethlisberger
15. Philip Rivers
16. Carson Palmer
17. Joe Flacco
18. Matt Schaub
19. Jay Cutler
20. Ryan Tannehill
21. Mike Vick
22. Andy Dalton
23. Sam Bradford
24. Josh Freeman
25. Alex Smith

Yes there are more than twenty five franchises in the NFL, but beyond the current twenty five listed, they should not be on your fantasy football draft board. Much like GM’s and NFL franchises do on NFL Draft Day they go in with a nucleus of players and others they’ve X’d out. Scratch out Mark Sanchez, EJ Manuel, Christian Ponder, and others from even crossing your mind as a fantasy backup.

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Quarterbacks

Russell Wilson-

I for one have been a big non supporter of Wilson. But over the last three games he has risen above game manager status. The Seahawks still aren’t basing their offense around a passing attack, but when they do let him throw he is making good decisions. The Bears defense had plays available for the Vikings last week, but Christian Ponder just couldn’t deliver accurate footballs. Wilson will outdo his fantasy ranking this week by at least ten spots, and put up fantasy worthy numbers.

Colin Kapernick-

After Kapernick’s back to back strong performances and key wins over the Bears and Saints his confidence will be boosted even more after this Sunday. The Rams came out the gates of this season as a formidable defense. Since the first month though they’ve been one of the leagues bottom ten defenses. With the way the 49ers defense is suddenly creating turnovers (Alex Smith’s wondering where that came from), Kapernick should get two to three drives of favorable field position. The shotgun quarterback plunge will likely be called a few times. Just one Kapernick rushing touchdown is significant enough to consider him as a fantasy starter this week.

Chad Henne-

Buffalo’s season is on the edge of one of those head turning time to fire type of games. Last week against the Colts the play calling was awful. Shotgun after shotgun throws with absolutely no balance of a rushing attack, against the Colts who rank near the bottom of the league in rush defense. It made no sense, and now Chad Henne steps in with confidence and familiarity. He has faced this Buffalo team numerous times as a Dolphin, and wants to keep playing well to go into 2013 with a chance to win the starting job.

Running Backs

Jacquizz Rodgers-

The Falcons challenged their team and offensive line to get the ground game going early against Tampa Bay a week ago. It worked and they did it by giving more carries to Rodgers. Rodgers showed the shiftiness and elusiveness to be a better overall threat than Michael Turner. Expect Rodgers to continue to see his carries elevated.

Beanie Wells-

This could be a very low scoring ugly game between the Cardinals and Jets. I do believe though that both teams will find success running the football. Both teams are reeling from extended losses. At this point of the year when losses pile up, tackling starts to become worse. Playoff expectations are long gone for both of these teams. Wells has the fresh legs and we should see that pay dividends Sunday.

Wide Receivers

Reuben Randle

Sorry Hakeem Nicks owners but the injury bug may hit Nicks once again. Cris Collinsworth stated on NBC Sunday Night football that Nicks took quite awhile to warm up before he was able to run routes at game day speed last week. There is obviously limitations to Nicks capabilities right now, but he is managing to perform on Sundays. If the Giants can get a couple more quality wins, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Nicks sit out to try and regain his health at 100 percent. Before that would happen the Giants would seek to develop Randle more on pass plays to be prepared. He got in the action Sunday with a nice back of the end zone touchdown catch, and should see his on the field playing time rise.

TY Hilton-

Hilton is becoming a main factor in the Colts offense, and becoming a regular weekly big play threat. Last week against Buffalo he did it with a special teams touchdown and a short touchdown catch. Unlike other special teams elite players, Hilton is a natural receiver first. His upside to finish the rest of the season on a high note is worthy of fulfilling the third wide receiver starting spot, or flex on a weekly basis.

Miles Austin-

Austin has had a semi-quiet season since the first month and one game against the Giants. On Thanksgiving he was held without a catch. Timing is everything when facing division opponents two times a season. Austin and Romo are the longest tenured dynamic combination in their division from a quarterback to wide receiver standpoint. Dez Bryant and Jason Witten should get extra attention by the Eagles, and that’ll open it up for a big game from Austin.

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Fantasy playoffs are nearing. Now is not the time to be content with your team. Keep making those extra necessary moves to give your team the expected edge.
Quarterbacks
Ryan Fitzpatrick

Though Fitzpatrick has struggled that’s when he typically begins to bounce back, when he is at a low point. If it were not for that, Fitzpatrick would never have lasted this long as a starter. His time may be dwindling due to inconsistency, but at this point of the season Buffalo has no one else to turn too. Fitz may have a few solid games left in this season to boost your fantasy playoffs if you enter with a low caliber quarterback.
Chad Henne

Sometimes the front office needs to realize they made the wrong decision in a high draft pick. The Jaguars offense has been completely different with Henne under center to what Blaine Gabbert has offered. For those that watched Henne fill in for Gabbert a few weeks back against the Raiders are probably doing double takes, as Henne was beyond awful in that game. His spark has turned a passing game up a few notches and involved their top ten pick Justin Blackmon, who was non-existent much of the season.
Ryan Tannehill

While all the rookie talk has been focused on RG3 and Andrew Luck, Tannehill is diligently playing effective games himself. He showed great composure to put the team on his back against the Seahawks, as the Seahawks defense did a great job at stopping the run. Tannehill undoubtedly has the least talented receiver corp, but is still putting up great statistics. You have to wonder if not having a big player such as Chad Johnson has benefitted Tannehill. From a mental standpoint he has not had to worry on who needs to get the ball. He just delivers solid throws to whoever is the open guy.

Running Backs
Beanie Wells

Wells is the back that pops on and off the injury report enough to think he was a distant NFL player from years ago. He stepped in Sunday and scored two touchdowns for the Cardinals. The team has been free falling, but had some momentum with the running game with LaRod Stephens-Howling. Quarterback play has been a different story. Wells is available in over half of leagues and should not be overlooked for playoff depth.
James Starks

We’ve seen this beat before from the Packers. Starks stepped in during their Super Bowl run to do a sufficient job. That’s what the Packers need and will test Starks again. He had a good game against the Lions a few weeks ago, and this week against the Giants game plan was over before it could even begin.
Bryce Brown

Chances are most owners protected their investment in LeSean McCoy and bid heavily on Brown. If somehow you were in a league that Brown slipped through the cracks with the holidays on most minds, you’ll get another fortunate shot at Brown. His display on Monday Night Football speaks for itself for the interim injury of McCoy.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Justin Blackmon

Blackmon was listed as a sleeper in the summer time, and developed into the epitome of one as he rode the waiver wire after getting dumped early this season. His talent has always been there but the consistency to get him the ball lacked. The Jaguars have an air attack offense that has not been threatened by the ground game. Blackmon will be a top pickup this week.
Mohamed Sanu

The big target from Rutgers is starting to get involved in the offense finally. As teams become more and more geared at stopping the automatic red zone touchdowns of AJ Green, the Bengals have devised pass plays for Sanu to suit the counter to Green’s attention. It has worked. Though Sanu only had five catches Sunday, he had nine targets.
Emmanuel Sanders

Big Ben is expected to come back within the next week or two. When he does the passing game should bounce right back. With injuries all around the team, Sanders is going to become a factor to step in and produce. He did okay with Charlie Batch Sunday, which should give you enough of a green light to go after Sanders on the waiver wire.
Dustin Keller

The Jets have not been pretty to watch offensively but as long as Mark Sanchez is under center you have to bank on history. History shows that he loves to target Keller. There may be a lot of key changes in the off-season in New York, but until than this tandem should produce semi-effectively.

Quarterbacks
Jake Locker
Credit, Locker for coming back from injury and benefitting his team right off the bat. Locker was named the starter in preseason for a reason. He gives the Titans a better chance of winning and has developed in many areas as a passer. A person like Locker can have high value for your fantasy football stretch playoff run.

Andy Dalton

Dalton’s leadership was called into question by his own head coach Marvin Lewis. Dalton has followed those comments with two solid games. One in which he fought neck and neck with Peyton Manning before Manning took over in the fourth quarter. The second time around against a Manning brother, Andy got the best of Eli. Cincinnati does not have a high amount of rushing touchdowns. They are a slow pace offense but touchdowns are going to come through the arm of Dalton.

Carson Palmer
Palmer is piling up stats and might be the number one chunk garbage fantasy football candidate in the league right now. The Raiders don’t look like they’re going to improve any time soon, and seem fine with relying on Palmer’s arm and nothing else.
Running Backs

Jacquizz Rodgers
It’s inevitable that the Falcons will be seeking a new running back once the offseason comes. They have struggled all season for the most part to establish their running game, and that has led to many drop back passes for Matt Ryan. Mike Turner seems to be limited in the amount of carries he can handle effectively nowadays. Expect Rodgers involvement in the offseason to begin to leap more.

Wide Receivers
Mohamed Sanu
The big target out of Rutgers is starting to develop in the second half of this season. As AJ Green continues to tear apart secondaries, Green is going to only attract more and more attention. Sanu should be able to use his size to haul down some deep balls and utilize his size advantage over opposing cornerbacks.

Cecil Shorts
Shorts continues to be Gabbert’s favorite option in a limited effective passing attack. Shorts is now becoming consistent on a weekly basis over the last four weeks.

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Here are some players to look at picking up as week nine finishes out. It’s time to make those last crucial moves to position yourself for a playoff run.

Quarterbacks

Brandon Weeden

It definitely was not a great game by Weeden, but he has been sort of a game manager thus far in his rookie season. Sooner or later the Browns are going to want to see what they have in Weeden. The few designed big plays the Browns have ran, Weeden has thrown decent balls and completed some big plays. If they expand his throws just a bit more, Weeden could be a sneaky lower tier fantasy quarterback.

Jay Cutler

Some owners that had Cutler pulled the quick trigger on him as he has not dazzled like owners would have liked. This Bears team still likes to win based on how their defense is playing. Sunday got a bit out of hand and Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall did not disappoint.

Carson Palmer

You’re never going to like the touchdown to interception ratio from Palmer but he is going to air it out weekly. He’ll likely lead the league over the next month as Darren McFadden’s injury gets analyzed and his return to the field is determined on a weekly basis.

Running Backs

Ronnie Brown

Brown has become a threat out of the backfield and has bypassed Jackie Battle in a more prominent complimentary role to Ryan Matthews. San Diego’s offense has been up and down all season, but they’ve always been a streaky team. Credit Brown for over coming injuries and handling his role properly.

Vick Ballard

The Colts running game may never crack the top twenty five this season, but that doesn’t mean there can’t be any fantasy value. Ballard has become important to Andrew Luck and the Colts offense. There’s always the chance that Donald Brown’s injury remains nagging and Ballard keeps a major role.

Joique Bell

Detroit shifted from lighting it up with Matthew Stafford to going to a power ground attack with Bell and LeShoure. It was probably a good move as the past few weeks Stafford took some serious licks. As the Lions want to try to make a playoff run they’ll need to rely more on the ground attack and protect Stafford’s health.

Isaac Redman

One week it’s Jonathan Dwyer and the next it’s Redman. Both guys had their shots earlier in the season and couldn’t grasp the backfield lead role. Now both have shined while the Steelers battle through backfield injuries. How long will it last before the backfield is intact with everybody again?

Wide Receivers

Danario Alexander

San Diego has been dying to get a main target to throw to consistently. Alexander will get every opportunity that Eddie Royal and Robert Meachem have been unable to fulfill. Philip Rivers is a streaky quarterback. If he can regain his form, having a threat such as Alexander could be pivotal.

TY Hilton

It’s taking awhile but the rookie has started to show major signs in large part to the increased confidence of Andrew Luck. He shattered Cam Newton’s rookie yardage record by a mere yard, but had big play after big play to sustain drives on third down. One of his favorite targets to go to in the spread offense was Hilton’s way. Expect Hilton to continue to shine as Luck does.

Donald Jones

Fitzpatrick does not have many receivers to throw to, but Jones is one of them. He is making the most of his opportunity and starting to become one of the top targets for Fitzpatrick. One thing about Buffalo is that they are going to continue to throw the football the way their defense has played all season long.

Ryan Broyles

Broyles and Titus Young are still battling it out to see who becomes Stafford’s new second option with Nate Burelson out for the season. Young had the big week last week and Broyles had a decent game Sunday in a toned down game from Stafford. Both may end up being decent options weekly along side Megatron.