By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

There is a running back that should be on all radars. One that did not play a full down last year due to a season ending injury in the pre-season. With a full year of recovery and at worst an expected split load, mark down this running back to keep a watchful eye on your fantasy draft day.

Out in Arizona the main cog for fantasy production has continuously came at wide receiver with Larry Fitzgerald. With quarterbacks over the years such as Matt Leinart, Derek Anderson, Max Hall, Kevin Kolb, and John Skelton, Fitz has sidestepped the impossible to maintain fantasy stud status. This year the Cardinals believe they will finally take a post-Kurt Warner step forward.

In order for that to happen better balance offensively will have to occur. The defense has maintained its grit and kept the Cardinals in games. Offensively though the Cardinals are as stagnant as they come for a full four quarters. With a quarterback battle set to take place, the winner will be more interested in how they’ll be protected. Not just from the drop back position, but with a dependable reliable ball carrier.

Ryan Williams and Beanie Wells is a backfield tandem most do not circle or eye for probable fantasy points this upcoming season. Start paying attention. Both have had their injury woes through college and the pros, but it’s time for some good fortune to come to one of them.

Beanie Wells is still on the PUP list. The issue at hand has remained confidential, and Ken Whisenhunt has stated they do not expect Wells to even begin practicing for a couple more weeks. The fact that Wells has not participated in any drills has to raise concerns for expected early season fantasy performance. That opens the door for Ryan Williams to start the year off strong, and gain an advantage in the split backfield. Williams is going to sit out the first preseason Hall of Fame game against New Orleans, but is expected to get carries against Kansas City.

Arizona’s offense was putrid last season but still favorable in the running back department. With the distrust at quarterback they force feed the running back. An offensive trait Whisenhunt has carried over from Pittsburgh to Arizona. Over the course of the year from an injury standpoint, Williams is the home run threat versus Wells who is more of a power back.

If you use a draft strategy where you decide to jump on receivers or quarterbacks early, you’re going to be probing endlessly in desperation for a sleeper at running back. Williams should produce for you in deeper leagues and in standard leagues become a fantasy starter inserted a minimum of five to eight games. That’s even if Wells is fine and starts off the year with shared carries with Williams. Gamble on Williams and roll the dice for value for the long haul of the 2012 season.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

In years past, even pondering the thought of a rookie quarterback having fantasy value was preposterous. If you wanted to receive under ten points per fantasy game and watch your live fantasy score updates get dinged -2 three to four times a game; then grabbing a rookie quarterback was your own detriment.

The biggest upside would come in the fantasy playoffs. Rookie quarterbacks are finally starting to show confidence in themselves and so is their team. Carefree play with their teams season hopeless for a playoff run benefits them and fantasy owners.

Cam Newton, Andy Dalton, and even Christian Ponder made you reverse that type of fantasy draft mind state. Not only did they perform better than anyone could of imagined, many weeks they were in the top twelve or higher for fantasy quarterbacks.

Rumblings for second year woes are in doubters minds. The NFL is a fantasy quarterback friendly haven now. Cam Newton is in a new class himself with the stats that he can put up on the ground and rushing touchdowns.

Andy Dalton though is still in a bubble of question. They had one of the easiest schedules last season. Those were the games that Dalton performed better than average. Against higher competition he tailed off and struggled to make the big throws. Surrounding a young quarterback with a security blanket is what the Bengals did with AJ Green.

Green flourished as a rookie as well last year. The pair is going to have a connection for several years to delight fantasy fans. Behind Green though the team is lacking an offensive punch.

With their present roster, the team screams leaders of three and out possessions in the NFL. BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Bernard Scott are names you would expect behind a strong tailback, not weapons of choice for a tandem backfield.

Nonetheless it looks like that will be the backfield the Bengals rely on. For the record, the Bengals did not necessarily have a home run projected threat with Cedric Benson when they signed him as a free agent. He became a pleasant surprise for low value, and that’s the same avenue the Bengals are taking with their new backfield.

Points will likely come through the arm of Andy Dalton. Which will downgrade him a bit as a fantasy quarterback this year. Teams will zero in on his reads and be able to keep much of their attention on AJ Green, as the Bengals have poor depth behind Green. Jordan Shipley, Mohamed Sanu and Armon Binns are going to be the headaches of AJ Green’s nightmares if his season declines in year two.

One player that should benefit will be Jermaine Gresham. The tall athletic target has been a borderline fantasy tight end starter. Deeper leagues he likely was inserted on a weekly basis. 2012 should be the marking of him being inserted into standard leagues. The only other target that Dalton has solid chemistry with is Gresham. As teams pay more attention to Green, Gresham should see many more tosses his way.

In all but one game that Gresham started in last season he had three catches or more. Calculate the expected red zone targets and Gresham should be on your sleeper radar if you decide to wait on snaring a tight end.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Year one for development for rookie Jake Locker fared well. The Titans knew he needed time to learn and adapt to the NFL level. Instead of throwing him into the lineup they positioned him behind veteran Matt Hasselbeck. Allowing for comfort for Locker, knowing that he would not be forced into the lineup, as what happens with many rookies that are playing behind veteran journeyman quarterbacks.

Year two though for the same quarterback tandem is definitely going to be different. Locker in spot duty showcased freestyle unorthodox skills that adds a different dimension to the Titans offense. Whether throwing on the run or utilizing his legs, Locker proved to be a threat with both abilities. Hasselbeck on the other hand is past his prime but may have a solid few years left in him.

The daunting question arises. Begin building now through bumps with Locker, or continue to try and position? Considering the Titans are in a division with the Colts (Andrew Luck), Jaguars (Blaine Gabbert), and the rising but inconsistent Houston Texans, the plan will likely be too start with Hasselbeck once again.

His numbers were never great last season, but he managed to offset a poor season from Chris Johnson and adjust to playing without big play receiver Kenny Britt. Still, Hasselbeck was unable to stay healthy the full year which has been a pattern dating back to his last few seasons with Seattle. Though he battled through the pain and did not miss a start, management is prepared to insert Locker over an eighty percent Hasselbeck.

Offensive weapons at either quarterbacks disposal is a high area of concern. Somehow the Titans were able to use a platoon of widely unknown receivers with big play receiver Kenny Britt sidelined after a knee injury. The receiver that stepped up the most was Nate Washington. Washington had never been a commodity in fantasy leagues but became a sneaky waiver wire reliable addition. Catching seven touchdowns and having a thousand yard season.

With Kenny Britt just undergoing a second knee procedure July 17^th, it will be interesting to see if Britt can be a viable starting receiver. Snaring jump balls and outrunning defenders was Britt’s forte, basically becoming the new Terrell Owens. Statistically based on other athletes that have come off a serious knee injury no matter what sport, you can expect a main decline overall.

For Britt though he can still be a high value touchdown receiver inside the twenty yard line. Especially for the fact that Chris Johnson is not a true red zone threat, and the Titans feed him the ball much more over the way they use to LenDale White in the red zone.

Rookie Kendall Wright will be expected to add a speed element over the top for the Titans offense. He should blend in well. He will have his work cut out for him though learning the offense and likely being a viable part of the offense from the start of the season.

Mentally teams that know there is a likely quarterback change over usually under perform to start the season. Will see if that happens in Tennessee, and which week Locker is inserted.

By Vidur Malik

notjustagame23@gmail.com

As the playoff time begins, it’s important to solidify your backups in case your starters get some late-season rest. This will probably be the case for those of you who have Frank Gore on your team, as he hasn’t been at full-strength for a while.

Fortunately, his backup Kendall Hunter should provide some production, and you should consider picking him up. The Niners already locked up the NFC West and are now playing for playoff seeding, so even though their games are still meaningful, Gore doesn’t necessarily need to have big days these last few weeks. He’s been the team’s workhorse for several seasons now, but Hunter showed he is a capable runner himself this season.

Hunter’s stats aren’t impressive (82 carries for 322 yards and two touchdowns), but he has made the most of his chances during his rookie season, and when Gore was struggling early this year, there was even talk of Hunter cutting into Gore’s carries. Gore ultimately proved he could handle a starter’s workload, but Hunter has still gotten consistent reps and has caught 11 passes for 149 yards, demonstrating that he can use his quickness as a receiver as well.

Hunter has probably not made many headlines on the national scene, but you should capitalize on that and pick him up if he is available in your league. Chances are Gore will not receive 20 carries a game, and any reps he doesn’t get should go to Hunter. He’s solidified himself as the No. 2 running back in San Francisco, and his value should be at its peak now that the 49er starters could rest in preparation for the playoffs.

One of the most challenging aspects of the fantasy playoffs is figuring out which starters to bench. If Gore is on your team, read up on his updates and pick up Hunter as insurance. If Gore looks like he’ll play, you’ve still got one of the league’s best on your team. If he doesn’t play, you’ll put yourself in the best position to get points he would normally pick up by starting Hunter.

By Vidur Malik

notjustagame23@gmail.com

After the 2009 season, we highly recommended Vikings receiver Percy Harvin for you to pick up in the 2010 fantasy draft.

He followed up his rookie season with another great year in 2010, and he has really emerged as one of the NFL’s most dangerous playmakers this season. Those of you that have him on your team have been reaping the rewards as of late. After not getting in the end zone through the air for the first 10 weeks of the season, Harvin has caught four touchdowns in the past three weeks, including two in the Vikings’ 35-32 loss to the Broncos on Sunday. Harvin had his best receiving stats of the year in that game, catching eight passes for 156 yards. He has clearly become a favorite target for rookie quarterback Christian Ponder. Harvin has caught at least six passes in the last four games, and has a touchdown in the last three. He’s at 59 catches for 710 yards and four touchdowns for the year, and going off of his recent production, he should end this season with career-high totals in all those categories.

Combine his receiving skills with his kick return abilities, and you’ve got yourself an elite scoring threat. He’s run back one kick return for a touchdown this season, and got his name in the record books with a 104-yard run in week 12, which is the longest non-scoring play in NFL history. He also has a rushing touchdown this season, so he can really impact a game in many ways.

There are quite a few playmakers in the NFL who can score at any time in one particular situation. Whether it’s a deep-threat receiver or a kick returner who can take it the distance at any time, these types of players are pretty common. The player who has all these qualities, however, is rare. Consider Harvin in that class. After three years of playmaking as a receiver and kick returner, it’s time to put Harvin in that elite group of guys who must be accounted for by both defenses and special teams. Darren Sproles is probably the only other player who fits this mold, but other than him, there really isn’t anyone else who can put up solid offensive numbers while also returning kicks with the best of them.

If you didn’t draft Harvin this season, make sure to get him next year and for many years to come. You won’t regret it.

By Zack Cimini
notjustagame23@gmail.com

A season ending injury to Jamaal Charles means there are some carries and waiver wire opportunities in Kansas City. Jones and McCluster should only be considered flex options at this time with upside once Matt Cassel settles down. There are plenty of other injury concerns as well, Felix Jones, Steven Jackson, and Arian Foster. All are to be left benched until further notice later in the week.

Here is a breakdown of week three fantasy running back rankings.

1. LeSean McCoy-
Andy Reid has heightened McCoy’s impact per play even more in 2011. McCoy is going to be a weekly fantasy beast, a sure lock for dependability like Brian Westbrook use to be. A PPR and yardage monster, that is finding his way into the end zone.

2. Chris Johnson
This should be the week Johnson gets things going and gives fantasy owners that spent their first round pick on him a sigh of relief. If he doesn’t contribute to an expected breakout outing, opposing fantasy owners may want to try and probe a request to Johnson owners and try to steal him away.

3. Adrian Peterson
Detroit’s defensive line is halting opposing rushers with ease. Peterson will be up for the challenge as he is every week. Look for Peterson to do more damage on screens to offset the pass rush happy Lions young defense.

4. Ray Rice
It was disappointing to see the Ravens offense inefficiency against the Titans. Rice was contained in the second half vs. the Titans and that’s when the Ravens chances diminished to win the game.

5. Maurice Jones-Drew
The Jaguars are the laughing stock of the NFL currently for their poor decision to trade Garrard. They’ll do everything they can to try and win this game to get the spotlight of their organization. Expect long drawn out drives with a ton of carries from MJD.

6. Jahvid Best

7. Ahmad Bradshaw

8. Rashard Mendenhall

9. Matt Forte

10. Fred Jackson

11. Beanie Wells

12. Ben Tate

13. Mike Turner

14. Frank Gore

15. Peyton Hillis

16. Ryan Matthews

17. Tim Hightower

18. Danny Woodhead

19. Darren McFadden

20. Cedric Benson

21. Darren Sproles

22. Daniel Thomas

23. BenJarvus Green-Ellis

24. Shonn Greene

25. Dexter McCluster

26. LeGarrette Blount

27. Willis McGahee

28. James Starks

29. Cadillac Williams

30. Brandon Jacobs

31. DeAngelo Williams

32. Marshawn Lynch

33. Tashard Choice

34. Mark Ingram

35 Thomas Jones

36. Jonathan Stewart

37. Mike Tolbert

38. Reggie Bush

39. Felix Jones

40. Arian Foster (Limited carries if he plays)

41. DeLone Carter

42. Ricky Williams

43. Joey Addai

44. Roy Helu

45. Ryan Grant

46. Pierre Thomas

47. Mike Bush

48. LT

49. Isaac Redman

50. DejI Karim

51. Javon Ringer